


Whatever It Takes

by MissPolarBear



Series: Within the Heroes and the Villains (pending title) [5]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Anxious Roman Sanders, Coffee Shop, Crime Fighting, Crimes & Criminals, Entropy, Fluorescence, Independent Logan, M/M, Secret Identities, Secrets, Stress, Superhero Patton, Superhero Roman, Superheroes, Supervillain AU, Supervillain Deceit, Supervillain Logan, Supervillain virgil, Supervillains, Villain Deceit, Villain Logan, Villain Virgil, Worry, more tags will be added, night owl - Freeform, some tags aren’t added yet (to avoid spoilers), superhero au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2020-07-09 08:27:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 35,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19884610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissPolarBear/pseuds/MissPolarBear
Summary: A new villain is on the streets, wreaking havoc, terrorizing everyone. Not even Fluorescence, the most famous superhero, can stop him on his own.Amidst all of this, perfectly normal Roman is trying to have a perfectly normal life.And of course, he’s the one who ends up throwing himself into the fray.





	1. The Coffee Shop

**Author's Note:**

> SURPRISE!!
> 
> This next installment... will have chapters!
> 
> I’m so excited! I have a good majority of the book planned out, and I can’t wait to share it with you. I will try to post once a week!
> 
> Also, Roman’s here, FINALLY.

Roman wasn’t special.

He went to a coffee shop every Friday, he was a freshman in college studying drama and theatre, and he watched a whole lot of Disney movies, but he wasn’t special. Not at all.

On this particular Friday he found himself sitting in his usual spot in the café, sipping a vanilla mocha as he scrolled through his twitter feed. People filtered in and out of the coffee shop, chatting and laughing.

He hovered over a blurry picture of a silhouette on a rooftop. The only caption was a row of upset emojis, but it had a surprising amount of likes and retweets. However, it couldn’t be a picture of Night Owl, because there were no wings— and why would anyone be scared of Fluorescence? He frowned in confusion but scrolled on.

He shifted to a more comfortable position, propping his elbows up on the table. Sunlight streamed in through the windows from his spot in the front of the store, dappling the floor in golden light.

Once again he caught sight of the same picture, this one taken from a closer angle. From here he could see the person more clearly, someone dressed in black and purple holding something silver. The caption was “A supervillain attacked our city?!” followed by a dozen hashtags. Roman felt his stomach twist nervously.

He clicked onto the comments, hoping that this was some sort of trick. But no; the comments seemed pretty legit.

_i saw him on the rooftops :(_

_he only robbed a jewelry store, maybe he’s not a real supervillain just a regular criminal_

_He’s so scary!! He looks really dangerous!!_

_I can’t believe this happened last night. I was even close to the jewelry shop when it happened! I’m sooo relieved I didn’t run into him or something._

Roman lips were pressed into a thin line as he clicked out of the comment section. After searching through twitter for a minute, he finally came across this new supervillain’s name.

Entropy.

Roman shuddered. One supervillain was bad enough; why did a second one have to show up?

He turned to the window, examining the street. It was last night too, apparently. He shuddered, frightened by the thought that a supervillain had attacked and he hadn’t even known.

After a moment he took another sip of his mocha, trying to calm his nerves. He really had no reason to be worried. When Night Owl first showed himself, someone eventually stepped up as Fluorescence to stop him. It was only a matter of time before someone set out to stop Entropy, too.

So why should he be concerned?

Feeling a bit better with that thought in his head, Roman returned to twitter and scrolled right past posts about Entropy in search of more positive ones. He could use some positivity.

After twenty minutes or so, the café had filtered out greatly. The only ones who remained were Roman, the barista, a group of high schoolers, and two men reading the newspaper together. It was nice.

Roman went to drink the rest of his mocha.

The door slammed open so hard it cracked.

The sudden shrieking of the high schoolers sent Roman’s heart racing. A second later, he saw why.

A hooded figure wearing black and purple walked briskly into the shop, holding a silver baton out threateningly. A space in his mask revealed two dark eyes, cold and determined.

Roman was frozen in shock.

The coffee shop immediately went psycho. Chairs clattered as people jumped to their feet, pushing each other as everyone tried to back away as once. Roman, who was the only one near the doorway, backed up into the wall so hard he went dizzy for a second. His entire body was numb, more afraid than he had ever been in his life.

“Everybody stop!” The figure shouted, snapping the baton into the air. Roman blinked and the narrow silver object was now extended to a much longer length.

The café went silent, aside from the occasional whimper from a high schooler. The barista was trembling behind the counter, clutching a broom defensively.

Entropy’s gaze flickered over the group. He locked eyes with one of the men, who was dialing his phone in a shaky hand.

“Drop the phone,” Entropy said sharply. The man tensed before allowing the phone to slip from his hand and clatter to the ground before he was done dialing.

After a moment Entropy lifted his chin. “Good job, everyone,” he said, his voice layered in fake pride. “Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

He whirled to the side, focusing on the barista. She whimpered, the broom shaking.

“Open the cash register,” Entropy purred.

The barista didn’t hesitate to fly forward, yanking open the cash register. She backed away, refusing to take her eyes away from the supervillain.

The villain gave a nod of approval before stepping forward. In a few swipes, he removed all the money from the register and stowed it away in his pockets.

Entropy moved back towards the door, still scanning the room. Everyone was stock-still, terrified to move. Roman wasn’t quite sure if he was breathing.

“That will be all,” Entropy said. “Have a nice day.”

Roman watched as the dark-clad villain gave everyone a nod, spun on his heel, and marched out of the shop without another word.

Everyone was dead quiet for several seconds.

Then the silence was broken by a high schooler bursting into tears.

The sudden noise of the panicking students, the barista fainting, and the men rushing to help her snapped Roman out of his trance. He staggered, the room spinning around him.

He couldn’t really focus on a single thought, his mind a whirlwind. His eyes fell onto the cracked door and he let out a sharp breath, wincing in fear.

“A supervillain!” One of the students wailed. “It was a supervillain!”

Roman found himself planting his hands on the table, trying not to feel nauseous in the swaying room. The barista was slowly coming to, the broom still held loosely in her hands.

A single thought struck his mind, standing out against the other flying, panicking, frantic thoughts.

_A villain just attacked right in front of me._

Somehow, that was the thought that caused him to pass out.

——

The voices were the first thing Roman noticed when he regained consciousness. Shouting, talking, bustling voices.

Then the flashes. He opened his eyes, immediately squinting as red and blue filled his vision. An alarm wailed in the distance.

“Oh, sir, you’re awake.”

Roman coughed and slowly forced himself to sit up. He found himself still in the coffee shop, right where he passed out.

“Sir? Are you alright?”

He glanced up. A tall dark-skinned woman was looking down at him, dressed in dark blue. A gold badge flashed on her chest.

The sight of a police officer jolted Roman back to his senses. He scrambled to his feet, catching his balance on the wall when the room suddenly swayed. After a moment he took a deep breath. “Y-Yeah, I’m okay.” He blinked, chest heaving. “What... what happened?”

“You fainted a few minutes before we showed up,” the police officer explained. “After ensuring you were okay, we left you to wake up on your own.”

“Oh.” Roman scanned the shop. Several police officers were inside, and after peeking out the window he saw there were four police cars outside as well. The two men were gone, but the high schoolers and the barista remained, a few of them shedding tears or wearing shock blankets as they spoke to the police officers. His stomach was heaving and he knew he wanted nothing more than to just go home. “Is... is it alright if I head out?”

She nodded. “Before you go, could you please tell us what happened? We’ve already talked to several others but we still need the story from everyone.”

Roman gave a shaky nod. He took a deep breath and told her what happened. She nodded, scribbling something down in a notebook. “Thank you very much. Are you certain you’re alright?”

“I am. Thank you.”

He gave the police officer one last forced smile before beelining for the doorway. The door was now propped open, the crack down the center looming over him as he passed.

A few people were lingering nearby, watching him curiously as he walked past. He avoided eye contact, wanting nothing more than to get away.

“Hey, you!”

Roman forced himself to stop. Slowly he turned around. “Yeah?”

Two men approached, appearing a few years older than him. One of them— the one who spoke, he assumed— was wearing a blue shirt and a gray cardigan draped over his shoulders like a scarf, despite it being fairly warm. The other was dressed in all black except for a navy blue tie. Both of them had glasses.

“Hi, are you busy?” The man asked. “We just want to talk about what happened.”

Roman didn’t want to talk at all, but the man seemed so genuinely interested that he forced himself to smile and say, “No, I’m not busy. I’m Roman.”

“I’m Patton, and this is Logan.” The man gestured to his— friend? Boyfriend?— and continued. “We were walking by and we saw the cops and everything, but we didn’t want to talk to them and get involved. So...” he gave a sheepish smile. “...what happened?”

Roman exhaled, shifting on his feet. “Well, I was in the café, when all of a sudden this... guy stormed in.”

Patton and Logan remained quiet, so he added on quietly, “It was Entropy. The villain.”

Both of them flinched, to his surprise. Logan raised his eyebrows. “A supervillain just walked in? During the day while there were people around?”

Roman scrunched up his face. “I mean, I guess.”

Logan made a face like he didn’t quite believe him. Patton was looking concerned.

“Didn’t he just rob a jewelry shop last night?” Patton fretted. “Less than twenty-four hours and he’s already struck again?” His voice was suddenly much more panicked.

“Well,” Roman offered hesitantly, “I’m sure Fluorescence will stop him.”

“He didn’t this time,” Patton mumbled.

“Fluorescence operates mainly at night,” Logan pointed out at the same time. “And,” he added on in a more forced voice, “he’s already defending the city against Night Owl.”

Roman blinked, suddenly uncomfortable. After a moment Patton straightened up. “So, what happened after he came in?”

“He just...” Roman allowed the memories to resurface. “He just kind of shouted for everyone to stop what they were doing, and then he went and took all the money from the cashier.” He paused. “And then he just walked out.”

“Interesting,” Logan murmured, eyes narrowing. “Two attacks in less than twenty-four hours, one of which involved him announcing his name, and another where he allowed citizens to get a good look at him. It appears he’s trying quite hard to build up a reputation as a supervillain.”

“Huh,” Roman said, not quite understanding why that was important. “That’s weird.”

“Did he hurt anyone?” Patton asked. Roman shook his head.

“The barista and—“ Roman paused before starting over. “Two people fainted, but he didn’t hurt anyone intentionally.”

“Well, that’s good,” Patton offered. “Not— Not the fainting part, I mean the ‘not hurting anyone’ part.”

“I’m sure someone will stop him,” Logan said earnestly, taking notice of Patton’s nervousness. “It’s only a matter of time.”

“Everyone keeps saying that,” Patton pointed out. “But how many people actually want to step up and do it? I mean, it took weeks before Fluorescence set out to stop Night Owl.”

A cold feeling settled in the base of Roman’s stomach. Patton had a point.

“That may be true,” Logan said hesitantly, “but we can only hope, right?”

“Right, yeah.” Patton smiled, but it seemed sad. “We can hope.”

After a second Patton exhaled. “Well, thank you, Roman!” He flashed a smile. “We appreciate it.” Logan nodded in agreement.

“Uh, no problem.”

Patton gave him a nod before taking Logan’s hand and stepping away. Roman watched them leave, his heart pounding.

_Someone needs to stop Entropy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this before but I CAN’T WAIT to post the rest!!
> 
> What do you think so far? If you have any ideas you’d like to see happen, let me know in the comments! ;)
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: Saturday, July 27th


	2. The Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman’s worried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two hERE WE GO
> 
> I meant to post this earlier this morning, but I was extremely busy this week and didn’t have a lot of time to write. I had to do all my editing this morning :/
> 
> HOWEVER! It’s finished now and now you get to read it! :)

As the evening stretched on, Roman was becoming more anxious.

Soft orange light pooled in through his college dorm window, the sunset vaguely visible through the buildings outside. Roman paced his small living space, feverishly checking the clock that seemed to be stuck on 8:56.

His thoughts were flying. _Is Patton right? Will nobody step up to stop Entropy? He attacked twice in one day, what else is he capable of?_ He cast a fearful glance out the window.

Fluorescence surely knew what was going on, so must have it all under control, right?

Roman’s stomach twisted, a thought expanding in his mind.

... _I could stop him._

The minute the idea entered his head, he threw it out. “There is no way,” he muttered to himself. “I can’t do that. Absolutely not.”

But he couldn’t get the thought out of his head. _Night Owl, Fluorescence, and Entropy all appear to be just regular people with tools and suits. No superpowers or anything... so why can’t I give it a shot?_

But then he thought of the danger. Running over rooftops. Fistfighting with supervillains. Falling from great heights.

The others may have weapons and shoes and wings, but Roman had nothing but himself. He couldn’t do it.

With a sigh, Roman weakly crumpled into his couch. He was grateful he lived by himself in his dorm, and nobody else had to see him so distressed.

“Sorry, Patton,” he mumbled. “Someone else has got to do it.”

His phone dinged in his pocket. He shifted to take it out and read over the message.

_wanna go out to the park n stuff tomorrow?_ It was from his college friend Remy, a laidback student studying psychology. Every so often they would head out to this area in the city, a large circular park surrounded by shops and other various establishments.

Roman paused, his finger hovering over the keyboard. He was so stressed; maybe spending a nice Saturday with his friend would be good for him. Making the decision, he messaged Remy back.

_Sure :) should we walk or drive?_ The park was roughly two miles away.

_I don’t feel like walking lol, I’ll pick you up at noon_

_haha okay_

Remy only responded with a soda emoji and sunglasses emoji, so Roman turned his phone off, a smile tugging at his lips. The room was silent, the yellow light slowly fading to a purplish pink as the sun sank into the horizon.

It’ll be okay, probably.

——

“—so I didn’t even bother paying attention, because the sub just had the most _boring_ voice. Half the class fell asleep and she just kept going.”

Roman chuckled as Remy ranted on about his awful psychology substitute. He intervened every few minutes to remind Remy to keep his eyes on the road.

“My car, my rules,” Remy responded, jokingly swerving the car back and forth. Roman laughed.

“We’re almost there, dingus. Keep driving before someone rear-ends you.”

“No one’s around,” Remy pointed out, but he went back to driving normally.

When the park came into view, they parked on the outskirts, in front of a Starbucks. Remy shot Roman a grin.

Ten minutes later, the pair were leaving the Starbucks with drinks in hand. Remy adjusted his sunglasses, taking a sip of his iced coffee. “So, big news. Apparently this super cute guy has been in my psychology class all year and I didn’t even know.”

Roman snorted as they made their way down the sidewalk, circling the park. “Really? What’s he like?”

“He’s got bright pink hair—like, really bright. He dyed it like three days ago, that’s why I noticed him. Anyways, he sits all the way on the other side of the room, so I _never_ get to see him.” He gave a dramatic sigh, giving Roman the impression he should be taking drama instead of psychology. “But I know I’m absolutely gonna marry him one day. Just you wait.”

“What’s his name?” Roman asked curiously.

Remy shrugged, causing Roman to erupt in laughter.

“You don’t even know his name?” He exclaimed, wheezing. “What if he has a dumb last name and you can’t marry him?”

“Good point.” Remy pondered for a moment. “He’ll just have to take mine, then,” he concluded with a shrug.

“Alright,” Roman laughed. “Can I be your best man?”

“ _Absolutely,_ girl.”

Roman pretended to pump his fist in the air. “Just what I’ve always wanted!” Remy chuckled.

The pair drifted further down the curved sidewalk. Up ahead, Roman caught sight of several police cars wedged into a parking area. He shot Remy a worried glance.

“What’d you think is going on?” He asked nervously. Remy pressed his lips into a thin line and shrugged.

They hesitantly approached. A police officer, standing nearby, caught their eye and gave them a nod.

“They’re... on the lookout, or something,” Roman murmured. He glanced around, catching sight of a few more officers scattered throughout the park.

“Because of Entropy?” Remy suggested. “I heard he attacked again yesterday.”

Roman’s stomach lurched. “Oh, yeah. Uh, I was there.”

Silence.

“ _What_?!”

“I was in the café,” Roman explained, shifting on his feet. “He just walked in, took a bunch of money, and left.”

“You didn’t tell me this!”

“I guess I kind of forgot to mention it.”

“How do you—?!” Remy caught himself, taking a deep breath. “Alright, start again, from the top.”

A smile quirking at Roman’s lips, he recounted what had happened the day before. Remy’s eyes were wide behind the sunglasses.

“Girl,” he breathed. “That’s actually crazy.”

Roman shrugged. He had been trying to push the memories from his mind, but at this point he had just accepted what had happened. It all happened so quickly anyways, it hardly bothered him now.

Remy’s eyes scanned the park. “But we’re not far from the café and the jewelry shop. Maybe they think he’ll show up here next.”

“Maybe,” Roman murmured, his heart skipping a beat. To be honest, he had pushed Entropy from his mind. The idea that the villain might return sent shivers down his spine. “Let’s just... ignore it. The police probably have it handled.”

“And Fluorescence, apparently,” Remy said suddenly, his voice raising in surprise. He grabbed Roman’s arm and pointed to a tall rooftop.

A gray-clad figure stood atop the building, peering out into the park. Roman blinked, slightly taken aback.Fluorescence rarely showed himself during the day; he must be very worried about Entropy.

A few people pointed at the superhero as more and more people caught sight of him. Several people approached and attempted to wave, but Fluorescence remained still and vigilant.

“This is weird,” Remy muttered. Roman mumbled his agreement.

They watched Fluorescence for another moment or two, but the superhero didn’t seem very occupied. They figured he would appreciate them _not_ watching him like hawks, so they retreated into a clothes shop, letting the door fall shut with a thud.

Roman exhaled, although the tension barely left his body. Cops everywhere? A superhero surveilling the park? A villain that may strike at any moment?

He felt like he was going to be sick.

Roman shuddered. Remy gave him a soft look, taking his hand and leading him through racks of clothes.

The made their way into the store. At some point Remy let go of Roman’s hand and the pair filtered through the clothes, absentmindedly glancing at various shirts. Roman distracted himself by examining different headbands and bandanas.

He caught sight of a white cloth, tearing his gaze over to focus on it. Upon further examination, he saw that it was some sort of long scarf or bandana, silky and opaque.

He glanced over the tag. It mentioned something about the cloth being paint-safe, and his mind immediately burst with creativity.

_I could add gold flecks here and there_ , he thought to himself, running a hand over the soft fabric. _If I put it over my face I could leave a space for my eyes..._

His spiraling thoughts immediately died down, and he let go of the fabric sharply. He inhaled sharply.

_Why did my mind immediately jump to a mask?_

Before he could answer his own question, Remy approached, holding a navy blue scarf. “This will look really good in the fall,” he crooned.

Roman released a shaky breath. “Y-Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Yeah, that’ll look awesome.”

“I know, right.” Remy peered over his shoulder. “I saw you looking at that white scarf thing. You gonna get it?”

Roman stared down at the white cloth.

“Yep.”

He pulled it off the hook, gripping it just a little too tightly. He forced a smile before allowing Remy to lead him all the way back to the front counter.

His heart pounding erratically, they checked out and left the store. Remy carried the bag with both scarves in it.

”I think I’ll wear it with that gray and white sweater I have,” Remy was saying. Roman was only half-listening, glancing at the rooftop where Fluorescence was. The superhero was gone.

His thoughts lingered on the white scarf, still pouring with ideas on designs and color schemes. He pictured different suits and outfits in his mind, heart racing.

_Maybe I’ll... consider this._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added in Remy last minute because he’s actually the best
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it wasn’t very exciting, and a bit shorter than the first. I promise next week’s will be a lot more interesting ;)
> 
> Question for the comments: Who’s your favorite side and why?
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: Saturday, August 3rd


	3. Rooftops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know I said this chapter is coming out on Saturday, but I found myself WAY ahead of schedule. So, surprise!! This chapter’s coming out four days early!

It was promptly midnight when Roman found himself in an alleyway, dressed in a handmade red and white supersuit, and clutching a baseball bat in trembling hands.

His breaths were rapid and heavy behind his cloth mask, made from the scarf he had purchased a week before. The rest of his costume was made from fabric, except for a bullet-proof vest beneath.

He had purchased the vest when Entropy attacked a third time, the Wednesday before. The supervillain had looked into the cameras surrounding him, and said, “Be prepared for next week. It might get _explosive_.“

The idea that bombs might be used gave Roman the feeling he might need more than just cloth to protect him.

He had spent the entirety of last week working on his costume, doubting himself the whole time. He had to admit, it _was_ thrilling to design a superhero persona for himself, but he couldn’t push away the thoughts that screamed that this was _dangerous._

But the city had called out for a hero, and Roman was just answering the call.

He took a deep breath, adjusting his grip on the baseball bat. He still needed to get used to breathing into the cloth that covered his mouth and nose.

“What am I doing here?” He whispered to himself glumly.

To be honest, he wasn’t actually planning on fighting Entropy tonight. He didn’t even know when or where the supervillain was planning to attack next. He just wanted to roam the city in his new suit, get a feel of it. Decide if this is what he wanted.

Swallowing hard, Roman surveyed the ladder next to him, extending up to the roof. Night Owl, Fluorescence, and Entropy have all been seen sprinting over rooftops. But how do they do it? The idea sent chills down his spine.

Tucking the bat under his arm, Roman began to climb. Every instinct was screaming at him that he should just go home and go to sleep and pretend this never happened.

Surely there’s gotta be _someone_ out there who could take his place.

But his determination and pride overtook his fear. He put all his work and thought into this; he wasn’t going to back out now.

With a sudden surge of readiness, Roman pulled himself up onto the roof. He refused to look down, already knowing he was four stories up.

He gazed out to the building next to this one. The gap between them had to be twenty or thirty feet, _way_ too far for any human to jump. A cold feeling settled in the pit of Roman’s stomach.

How on earth could he ever pull this off?

He took a step back, narrowing his eyes as he thought to himself. How did the others do it?

Night Owl had wings; that was pretty self-explanatory.

Roman wasn’t quite sure how Fluorescence jumped so far, but he assumed the superhero had some sort of springy footwear that allowed him to launch himself between buildings. He had only seen blurry pictures and videos, so it was hard to tell.

Last of all, Entropy used his baton to launch himself over. Roman had watched a cleanly-recorded video of the supervillain the day before to confirm it.

So how could he, a wannabe hero, jump so far?

He paced the rooftop. There was no way he could afford the means to create giant mechanical wings, let alone super boots or an extendable baton. Any other ideas he had were shot down when he considered that there really was no easy, cheap way to do this.

Roman heaved a sigh, retreating to the center of the roof. There was a small section with a door off to the side, as well as a few pipes and random papers. He defeatedly kicked at an old can and leaned against the door.

He stared out into the dark sky, trying to spot different constellations. He had only found the Big Dipper when a shape in the sky caught his eye.

He squinted, leaning forward. At first he thought it was a plane blotting out the stars, or perhaps some sort of freakishly large bird.

Then he saw the glint of silver wings.

He let out a sharp gasp, throwing himself back, as Night Owl skidded down onto the building in front of him.

Roman stared, but somehow the supervillain _didn’t see him._

Night Owl turned, facing away from Roman. A moment later Roman saw why.

Another figure slammed down onto the rooftop, a blur of fluorescent blue.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Fluorescence said with a tilt of the head.

Roman wasn’t quite sure when it had happened, but he found himself hidden around the corner, trembling as he watched the supers approach each other. Seeing them up close, in their sleek outfits and colors and their confidence, Roman suddenly felt very very silly. His outfit, which he had been proud of, suddenly felt loose and scrappy. He adjusted his mask and attempted to breath quieter, heart pounding wildly.

“I believe you have something that doesn’t belong to you,” Fluorescence pointed out, slowly moving closer.

Roman only realized Night Owl was holding a cloth bag as the supervillain dangled it in the air. “You mean this?” He taunted.

“Hand it over, please.” Fluorescence held a hand out, other hand on his hip.

Night Owl hummed, pretending to think it over. “I would, but it doesn’t belong to you either, now, does it?”

Roman pressed himself into the wall, still peering around the corner. He could barely keep his breathing under control.

Should he make a run for it? The ladder was on the other side of the roof. It was impossible for him to get there without both of them spotting him. With a whimper, he stayed where he was.

“I don’t want to punch you, but I’m not afraid to,” Fluorescence quirked. “Give me the bag or you get a black eye.”

“Come on, it’s only five hundred dollars from a rich woman’s bank account. A wealthy woman such as herself would never even realize it’s gone.”

“But it’s _not yours,_ and that’s _wrong.”_ Fluorescence inched closer. “I’m going to count down from ten, and if you don’t give me the bag...” he lifted his chin. “You’re going down, Nighty.”

The superhero shifted into a fighting stance. “Ten...”

Night Owl shrugged. “Let’s just get to the point.” He lunged forward, striking Fluorescence across the face.

Roman’s heart leapt out of his chest. He couldn’t contain a startled gasp as they suddenly attacked each other, a tornado of lunges and kicks and punches. Luckily they didn’t seem to hear him.

The fight was quick, too fast for Roman to follow. Before he knew it, Night Owl was slammed onto his back, wings fanned out, Fluorescence standing over him.

In one swipe, Fluorescence grabbed the bag. He set his foot on Night Owl’s chest, but the supervillain didn’t seem interested in fighting back, only stared up at him through narrowed eyes.

“You didn’t even let me get to one,” Fluorescence teased. Roman shifted oddly, still not used to hearing the superhero talk.

Night Owl heaved a sigh. “The wait would have been unnecessary.”

Fluorescence hummed, lifting a hand to touch is mask. “That was a good hit,” he admitted, peering down at the supervillain. “But I still beat you.”

“Count yourself lucky. I win a majority of the time,” Night Owl shot back.

It was so... casual. Roman was starting to feel less terrified and more confused.

“So are you gonna let me up?” Night Owl asked. “It’s not exactly comfortable to lay on top of metal machinery.”

“Sorry buddy, but if you get up you’re gonna try and take this from me.” Fluorescence shook the bag of money. “Not happening.”

“So, what are you gonna do then?” Night Owl teased. “Turn me into the police?”

“I might as well be turning us both in. You know the police hate me.” Fluorescence was openly relaxed now, passing the bag between his hands.

Roman’s brow furrowed. Since when did the police hate Fluorescence? He always thought that the superhero worked side by side with them.

“You know, I’ll give you a head start if you want to run off,” Fluorescence offered. Roman’s mind was spinning with questions.

Night Owl shifted. “Thanks, but no.”

“Your los—“

Fluorescence yelped as Night Owl suddenly flung himself up, swinging his arms forward to knock the superhero off of him. Fluorescence stumbled, the bag ripped from his hands before Night Owl took off running. “Hey!”

Two enormous wings snapped out as Night Owl launched himself off of the building, soaring to the next. Fluorescence sprinted after him, kicking off and leaping across the gap as well.

In less than ten seconds, Roman was alone on the rooftop.

The sudden silence sent a wave of nausea over his head, and he slumped against the wall, sinking to the ground. He brought his hand to his face, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

_Oh my god._

Night Owl and Fluorescence were so much more calm than he expected them to be. They spent more time talking than they did fighting!

He dragged his hands down his face, loosening his makeshift mask slightly. There was no way he was ready for this. He didn’t know a thing about fighting. If he screwed up, he would be the one on the ground, pinned under Entropy’s foot.

He exhaled. Entropy had implied that the “explosive” event would happen in a week, which would be next Wednesday. Roman could try and catch the scene, maybe see Fluorescence in action (if the superhero showed up, which Roman assumed he would.)

As terrified as he was, the voice in the back of his mind told him, _the city needs you_.

Entropy had attacked three times already and got away each time. Someone had to stop him.

With a sudden burst of determination, Roman pulled himself to his feet. He adjusted his mask as he crossed the roof, getting ready to go home and completely redesign his suit.

Something glinted, catching his eye. He paused to pick it up.

A... driver’s license.

Roman’s breath hitched, reading the name over and and over again.

_Patton Morale_.

“Oh,” was the only noise that escaped his lips. The smile, the warm brown eyes behind dark glasses frames.

The card began to tremble in his hands, and he had to move it closer to his face to read. His heartbeat was racing at this point.

_Patton_.

The man Roman met days before was either the city’s most loved superhero or the most feared supervillain.

Roman staggered slightly, holding his arms out for balance. Was it just him, or was the world spinning around him? He fumbled for the card before it could slip through his fingers, shoving it into his suit pocket.

Patton was either Fluorescence or Night Owl. Is that why he was asking Roman about what happened in the coffee shop? Did Logan know about it? Was he happy? Should Roman had brought his driver’s license?

Roman stumbled towards the edge of the roof, grabbing onto the ladder. Before he knew it he was in the alley again, walking briskly towards his college, right down the street.

The street was quiet and empty, leaving Roman alone with his thoughts. His hand squeezed the card in his pocket, no doubt leaving marks in his gloves. The sidewalk in front of him blurred in and out of view as he failed to focus.

What was he supposed to do now?

He knew Patton’s secret. Part of him wanted to shout it in the streets, call Remy, do _something_.

However, the logical part of his brain shut his impulses down immediately.

_I have to give the driver’s license, back, first of all_ , he thought to himself.

_And then I’m gonna ask Patton a question or two._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was very foolish of Patton to take his license with him.
> 
> I had a lot of fun writing this. I hope you had fun reading it! If you have any suggestions for Roman’s name or suit designs, let me know! (I need them.)
> 
> Question for the comments: Coke or Pepsi?
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: Saturday, August 3rd (again hahaha)


	4. The Police Station/The Coffee Shop (once again)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go >:)
> 
> I promise we’ll have other POVs eventually! I’m focusing on Roman for now.

Roman fidgeted as he waited outside the police station.

He had turned the license in twenty minutes ago, and the police had contacted Patton. Patton would be here soon and Roman prayed he was alone.

He wasn’t too keen on discussing his secret identity with anyone else around.

With a sigh, Roman leaned against the station wall. It was a nice Sunday morning, he could admit. He didn’t mind waiting too much.

He hoped beyond hope that his guess was right and Patton was Fluorescence, not Night Owl. Surely the sweet, polite man he had met couldn’t be a supervillain, right?

A dark car approaching in the distance caught his eye. He lifted his head as the car was parked and a man exited through the passenger door, saying something to the driver.

Roman recognized Patton instantly. He wore a periwinkle shirt and several white bracelets, and Roman spent the next few seconds trying to decide if he looked more like Fluorescence or Night Owl. 

“Oh, hey, you’re Roman, right?”

Roman jumped in surprise when he realized Patton was standing right next to him, close to the door. “I think we met outside the coffee shop? Unless that was someone else...”

“No, no, that was me.” Roman chuckled nervously, inching closer to Patton. It was just them right now, aside from whoever was waiting in the car, presumably Logan, Patton’s boyfriend. “Hey, uh, I...” he suddenly found himself at a loss for words. “I just... I found your lisence—“

“That was you?” Patton suddenly gushed. “Thank you! You have no idea how scared I got when I realized it was missing. I don’t even remember losing it!”

Roman shifted, his mouth dry. “Y-Yeah,” he forced out, swallowing hard. “Listen, I... I wanted to talk to you.”

Patton looked momentarily confused, but he replaced it with another smile. “Alright; just wait one minute while I grab the license.” He went inside, leaving Roman alone outside the station.

Roman shuddered as he took a breath, trying to calm down. He wanted to appear at least semi-decent before he asked what he was about to ask.

He glanced towards the car. Logan was in the driver’s seat, giving a little wave when he saw that Roman was watching. He shakily waved back.

A minute later, the door reopened. Patton stepped out, giving Roman a nod. “So, what’s up?”

Roman brain went numb. He placed his hand against the wall, just in case he lost his balance. “I...” the words died in his throat.

“You alright, kiddo?”

Roman forced himself to meet Patton’s eyes. “I know your secret.”

Patton tensed suddenly, but in a flash he was back to normal. He chuckled. “What?”

“I know that you’re Fluorescence.” Roman paused, hoping his guess was correct. After a moment he added, “I didn’t tell anyone. I’m not going to, I promise.”

There was a beat of silence, in which Roman’s heart threatened to beat out of his chest. Patton opened his mouth to speak, a hint of a nervous laugh at his lips, but faltered.

Patton was quiet for a moment as he stared back. He was much more paler than he was before. After a very long second he leaned forward and whispered, eyes wide, “How do you know?”

Roman’s stomach dropped as his suspicions were confirmed. He blinked several times, trying to regain himself. “I... I saw Fluorescence— I saw you last night, and I found your license, and just connects the dots, I guess.”

Patton bit his lip. He turned towards Logan, holding up his finger as if to say, “one minute.” Then he turned back to Roman.

“Listen, Roman,” he said quietly. A jolt of fear shot through Roman at how deadly serious he was. “Just forget this ever happened, okay? Nobody else knows. You’re not _supposed_ to know. I appreciate that you found the license, but please, for your own safety, don’t ever mention this again.”

Roman was frozen, eyes locked with Patton’s. “...but...”

“I have to go, I don’t want Logan to get suspicious.” Patton took a deep breath. “It was nice seeing you, Roman.”

He turned. For a split-second Roman was about to leave as well, but then the words were tumbling out. “I want to help you.”

Patton stopped, slowly glancing back. “...What?”

“I want to help you. I found your license because I was out for the first time in a suit because I want to be a superhero and stop Entropy.” The words came out in one breath.

Patton stared for several seconds, brown eyes wide in surprise. After a moment he pulled a marker from his pocket, yanked up Roman’s sleeve, and scribbled his number down on his arm. Roman jumped slightly.

“Call me later. I want to meet up with you and... discuss this.” Patton gave Roman a firm nod, letting go of his arm. How could someone appear so tense and so calm at the same time? “I trust you not to tell anyone, okay?”

“I— okay,” Roman breathed, flabbergasted.

“Alright. See you, kiddo.” Patton flashed a smile and turned away, walking towards the car. Roman watched him get in and pull away, vanishing into the city.

Roman pressed a hand to his forehead, staring down at his other arm. The number was scribbled out in black marker, a smiley face below it. Roman let out a breathy chuckle.

“Thank god he wasn’t Night Owl,” he muttered to himself.

——

Eight hours later, that same Sunday afternoon, Roman found himself sitting across from Patton at the very coffee shop Entropy had robbed.

Roman was very tense. It was quite hard to relax when you’re sitting directly across from a superhero.

Patton sipped his drink. “I’m really sorry we couldn’t talk earlier. I didn’t want to risk anyone overhearing, and I didn’t want Logan to get suspicious.” He leaned forward slightly, lowering in his voice, despite his gentle, knowing eyes. “Logan doesn’t know, and I don’t ever plan on telling him.”

“Ah.” Roman nodded, shifting in his seat. The words came before he could even consider them. “I found your license on the roof.”

Patton looked a little taken aback by the random comment. Even Roman had startled himself. “What?”

“I— uh, I also saw you fight Night Owl. On the roof.”

Patton blinked. “You were there?” After a moment he laughed. “I guess I need to work on paying attention to my surroundings. I must be getting dull. What were you doing up there?”

“Just... enjoying the view,” Roman said. He didn’t want to explain that he was trying to figure out how to jump like Fluorescence could. He added on quickly, “Uh, so long have you been Fluorescence?”

Patton hummed. “A little over than a year, I think.” He counted on his fingers. “Yeah, I’m twenty-five now, and I started when I was twenty-four. I only became a superhero when Night Owl showed himself, because _someone_ needed to stop him.” He paused suddenly, locking eyes with Roman. “That’s what you’re doing, isn’t it?”

Roman swallowed and nodded.

Patton cracked a smile. “Kiddo, that’s awesome. Entropy seems pretty tough, though.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Roman began, fidgeting. “Since you’ve had experience fighting crime, and, uh, I haven’t, I was wondering if you’d like to—“

“—teach you?” Patton cut in, eyes wide. “Yes, absolutely!” He broke into a smile, taking Roman’s hands in his his. “I’d love to!”

Roman blinked.

Well, that was easier than he expected.

“Really?” Roman asked in surprise.

“Yes! I mean, ever since Entropy showed up, I’ve been getting kind of worried, you know? I mean, Night Owl’s enough to handle, so I couldn’t double my time trying to stop him, too. I was hoping someone would step up, and here you are!”

“Y-Yeah,” Roman said, feeling dazed. “Here I am.”

Patton paused, taking in Roman’s nervous features. “Listen,” he began gently. “It seems a lot scarier when you’re only beginning. I was _terrified_ my first day. But now it’s just as natural to me as breathing.” He tilted his head slightly. “What do you have prepared so far? A suit, a weapon, anything?”

Roman blinked, trying to recall. “Uh, I designed a suit out of fabric and a bullet-proof vest, but it feels kind of scrappy, now, I guess.”

“That’s alright, we can work on that. Do you have a weapon of any kind?”

Roman blushed. “Well, until I got the real stuff, I was just planning on carrying a baseball bat?”

Patton blinked several times. “It’s not a terrible idea,” he hummed. “I mean, I don’t have a weapon at all.”

“Wait, really?”

“I have my shoes, and a pretty sick punch.” Patton flashed a smile. “But I am looking into making a sort of whip-thing.”

“...A whip-thing?”

“Yeah! Like, something that can grab things, you know? And then I can also move faster over rooftops.”

Roman blinked. “I could see that,” he agreed. “But, where do you get things like that? Where did you get your suit?”

Patton smiled. “We’ll work on that in a second. So far, you have a baseball bat and a suit, right?”

“...uh, yeah. I’m not sure the suit counts though.”

“Do you have a picture?”

Roman shook his head. “I wasn’t sure if superheroes should have, like, pictures or videos of themselves?” He explained, slightly awkward.

Patton nodded in approval. “Smart. Could you describe it to me?”

“Oh? Uh, well,” Roman paused. “It’s mostly white. I sewed a bulletproof vest into the inside.” He hummed. “It has red boots, red gloves, and like, a red sash thing? And, um, there’s a lot of gold in there too, like a gold belt and stuff.”

“And the mask?”

“Well...” Roman shifted. “I made it out of a scarf. I kind of had to cut it up and stuff beforehand, but it’s white fabric with a bit of red, and it covers my entire face except for my eyes.”

Patton nodded. “Okay, so, it seems like it keeps your identity concealed pretty well, so I’ll give you that. And the bulletproof vest was a good idea. But you may want to add a bit more toughness to it, you know? To be safer.”

Roman nodded. “Right. Uh,” a question popped into his mind. “What is your suit made of? I don’t think I recognize the material. Oh, and how does it glow?”

“I’m an electrical engineer,” Patton explained. “It doesn’t seem like it but there are a lot of wires and LEDs. The material is a tough fabric that can withstand a lot of blows and scrapes without ripping.”

“Ah.” Roman shifted. “I don’t know if this is weird to ask, but is there a way I could... uh, borrow some of that fabric?”

Patton chuckled. “I was going to suggest that myself. You seem pretty smart, I think you can handle it.”

Roman’s heart fluttered. “Thank you.”

“Listen; as far as I know, Entropy is going to strike on Wednesday with some sort of bomb. I have a list of places I think he’ll attack next.” Patton pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket, showing Roman the list. “I’ll be there to try and stop him. It wouldn’t hurt if you hung around, just to pick up some tips and pointers, you know?” Patton grinned. “Unless it becomes too dangerous, of course, then you should get out of there.”

Roman blinked, reading over the list. He snapped a picture on his phone just to be sure. “Yeah, I’ll definitely be there.”

Patton put the list away. “If it’s okay with you, I would love to meet with you more often to talk about this. When I was just starting out as a superhero, I would have loved to have a mentor.”

“Yes!” Roman responded quickly. “Yes, I’ve been wanting to contact you, but I wasn’t sure how, you know? This is perfect. Thank you.”

“Of course!” Patton smiled, looking ready to burst with happiness. “I’ve only known you a short while but I know you’re destined to be a hero!”

Roman grinned back. For the first time in a while, he felt ready to become a hero.

——

Thirty minutes later, Roman was leaving the coffee shop, making his way down the sidewalk. He walked with pride, a bounce in his step, determined and cheerful.

Unfortunately for him, his pride overtook his senses, and he collided right into a young man as he turned the corner.

They both yelped, stumbling. Roman threw out his hand, catching onto the other person’s, balancing them both out enough to stand.

They were quiet for a moment. Then the young man let go, stepping back. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Roman looked him over. He was younger than him, most likely a high schooler. A purple and black hoodie hung from his shoulders, dark eyes watching him with an uncomfortable emotion Roman couldn’t quite place.

“It’s okay,” Roman said back, finding himself wanting to comfort this small, nervous looking high schooler. “I wasn’t paying attention,” he explained with a chuckle.

The boy laughed as well, but it seemed forced. He adjusted the shoulders of his hoodie. “Yeah, neither was I,” he agreed. His eyes fell. “Well, I gotta get going. See you.”

Roman blinked, a bit surprised, but managed to respond “see you” before the boy left.

A bit confused now, Roman left as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmmmmmmmmmmMMmm
> 
> I love reading your comments, so if you have anything to say, don’t be shy! I thrive on support :’)
> 
> Question for the comments: What’s your Hogwarts house?
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: Not sure yet. Somewhere around August 9-11.


	5. Surveillance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton and Roman prepare for an attack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not particularly happy with this chapter, but I’m posting it anyway. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it and next chapter will be better! :)
> 
> Also I don’t know if this will bother you, but there’s a couple swear words. Oops.

Fluorescence had to admit, it was odd being out at daylight.

The sky seemed a little too bright as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, occasionally pausing to scan the area for a certain black-and-purple someone. He wasn’t entirely convinced Entropy would just walk around unchecked, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

After all, today was the day Entropy would attack again.

At least, he was _pretty sure_ today was the day.

He finally found himself at the top of a skyscraper, holding on tight to the building as he looked for any sort of disturbance.

Everything was fine.

With a huff, he sat down, allowing his legs to dangle off the side of the skyscraper. He was a bit out of breath from all the running and climbing. He really should design that lasso to swing from building to building.

He just wished he knew more about Entropy. After fighting Night Owl for a year, he could usually predict the supervillain’s next move, but he had no idea if Entropy was willing to kill someone. Would he blow up a building? Or just a part of the street? What is he getting out of it?

Fluorescence dragged his hand down his face, feeling defeated. The only thing that motivated him to stand up and continue his patrol of the city was the thought that Roman was out there, looking _up to him._

He couldn’t help but smile as he leapt to another skyscraper. He hadn’t known Roman long, but the college student showed so much potential. His heart soared when he thought about how much Roman cared about this. He didn’t want to be a superhero because of the fame, not at all. Roman just wanted to protect the city.

After a while of pacing the city Fluorescence was beginning to become anxious. Did he get the date wrong? There were five different locations he had suspected Entropy might attack, and he’s cycled through them all at least three times. And there’s been no sign of anything suspicious.

Finally Fluorescence found himself gazing out at a twenty-foot statue in the center of a roundabout, like a beacon in the bright sun. It was a beautiful statue— a tall, twisting assemble of white marble, comparable to a tornado, smooth swirls reaching out above the street. Fluorescence wasn’t exactly sure what it was supposed to be or what it represented; all he knew was that the civilians appreciated it. And if that’s enough for Entropy to sabotage it, it’s enough for Fluorescence.

However, everything was perfectly fine.

Fluorescence sighed to himself. There was nothing he could do except keep searching and hope he ran into something.

Just as he was about to jump to a different roof, he caught sight of a figure across the street, standing just outside a shop window. Upon further inspection, Fluorescence confirmed that the figure was Roman.

He recalled back to when he and Roman discussed the various places Entropy might attack. Roman was certain it would be the marble statue; it was just so lovable to the public, and in Roman’s words, “Entropy doesn’t want to hurt a person, he just wants to make a statement.”

Fluorescence understood the college student’s train of thought. However, as a superhero, he knew you could never make assumptions. He had to check everywhere.

Roman glanced up and saw him. He lifted his head, giving a little wave. Fluorescence smiled, giving him a nod before running to another rooftop.

Another five minutes passed by and Fluorescence was a mile from the statue. He stood at the top of a skyscraper, peering out into the city. He took in a breath, breathing in the soft coolness of the air around him.

A fraction of a second passed before light filled the city and an explosion ripped through the air.

As Patton watched the remains of the statue crumple to the street, he knew he should have listened to Roman.

—

At first, when the bomb went off, Roman wasn’t quite sure what had happened.

For a fraction of a second the roundabout was filled with light and a booming, impenetrable sound; then the enormous statue was collapsing, shards and debri falling into the street below. Roman thanked god that there were no cars that were hit; however several cars went swerving as people shrieked and screamed.

Roman stared at the rubble, smoke lifting into the air as he took breath after breath without really taking in any air. He was vaguely aware that he was pressed against the shop window, hands gripping the railing, ears ringing, heart pounding—

People were still screaming. Roman suddenly jerked back to his senses, taking a few steps to the side in a weak attempt to rebalance himself. Just as people were beginning to quite down, a large portion of what remained of the statue collapsed, sending people into hysteria once more. A child was crying. Sirens were wailing.

In this moment Roman was frozen, mind blank. What had he and Patton planned? What was he supposed to do?

He vaguely remembered bits and pieces of their plan, and he latched onto those small memories. He found himself scanning the crowd for any suspicious-looking people. However, the crowd was in hysterics. Sobs and screams and horrified faces all around. Not a single person seemed even remotely happy about the explosion.

Roman’s gut twisted. Was he wrong? He had assumed that Entropy would be pretending to be a normal civilian, but what if he was in his supervillain outfit, probably running away right now?

He forced himself to calm down. This is why Patton was operating as Fluorescence; just in case he needed to fight Entropy head on. Roman’s job was to keep calm and try and find any information he could.

Just as he was suspiciously studying a blonde-haired man with glowering eyes, a figure in the sky caught his attention.

He realized too late who it was.

A dark-clad supervillain landed on the pile of rubble, brandishing a wide silver baton. He had jumped from a roof nearby.

If the crowd was frightened before, man, that was _nothing_ compared to them now.

“Attention!” Entropy shouted out into the street. People continued screaming. “Are you _scared_?”

Roman was indeed, very, very scared.

He had his superhero suit in the backpack he was wearing. He had packed it just in case. He could sneak off, put it on, and return ready to fight.

“ _Good._ Because you all should be fucking terrified.”

No. Roman was not going to do that.

Entropy’s dark, shadowed gaze scanned the crowd. Roman only now got a real good look at his outfit; the first time he had seen him in the coffee shop, he was too stunned to even think. Now he could at least keep his thoughts under control.

He wore mostly jet black, made of a fabric that was comparable to Fluorescence’s. Unlike Fluorescence’s outfit, however, it was not a body suit. The top of his suit, similar to a zipped up jacket, had rows of purple rings around each of his wrists, as well as purple patches on the sides of his torso. His ankles also sported purple rings.

His mask was jet black, aside from a few purple markings around his eyes Roman couldn’t see very well from the distance. The mask covered the entirety of his face except for a space around his eyes. His suit must have been modeled from a jacket, because he also had a black hood that he had pulled up around his head.

“I warned you this would be explosive,” Entropy shouted out, a bit of sarcasm in his tone. “And yet not a single person tried to stop me. Hell, I’m standing here right now and none of you are lifting a finger!”

Roman, a sick feeling settling in his stomach, did absolutely nothing.

“Yes, you all should be scared. Fear me all you want— but you should be scared of yourselves for standing around letting this happen to your city.”

Roman wanted to pass out.

“If you thought Night Owl was a threat to you, you were wrong. He’s nothing compared to me. You don’t—“

Entropy was cut off with a cry as another figure threw themself from the same rooftop. Fluorescence, glowing red, _tackled_ Entropy from where he stood, sending both of them tumbling halfway down the pile of rubble.

Roman stood petrified as Entropy managed to pull himself away and punch Fluorescence across the face. Fluorescence staggered momentarily but was back in an instant, grabbing Entropy’s shoulders and kneeing him in the stomach.

It was happening too quickly for Roman to even process. All he could really think was, _god, Patton is much more badass than he lets on._

The superhero and supervillain continued to go at it, Entropy swinging punches and trying to get away while Fluorescence tried to... keep him still? Knock him out? He was doing everything in his power to stop Entropy, that was for sure.

For a moment Roman couldn’t tell who was winning; then Entropy swung his baton into the crook of Fluorescence’s neck, sending the superhero crumpling to the ground with a shout of pain, and Roman knew. Entropy glowered over him for a moment before turning to the crowd.

“You should be very, _very_ scared.”

Entropy spun on his heel, sprinting over the rubble and leaping directly into the crowd on the other side. People screamed and backed away, and Entropy sprinted away, followed only by the police. The crowd shifted, and Roman couldn’t see Entropy anymore.

He turned, staring at Fluorescence. For a short moment, he had a panicked thought that _what if he’s dead?_ Then the superhero groaned, slowly sitting up and holding his neck. The crowd seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before calling out to him.

Fluorescence pulled himself to his feet, looking around, reading every face until his eyes landed on Roman. Roman exhaled softly before slowly shaking his head.

_We didn’t win._

Fluorescence paused, understanding. Then the superhero straightened up, stepping off of the crumpled statue and beginning to walk away, head held high. He only began to run as a few police moved closer to him, and soon Fluorescence was out of sight.

Roman turned to the crumpled statue, heart pounding. His hands trembled as he brushed his hair out of his eyes, trying to keep his breathing under control.

In less than a second, he had made his decision.

He had wanted to stop Entropy before. He was doing it out of fear, out of his worry for the city. He was terrified and he had every reason to be.

But now he was angry. Entropy had _no right_ to destroy their monuments and accuse them of being cowards. What was he getting out of this? Some sick feeling of power? Roman felt his blood boil.

Roman had known. He had known Entropy would do this, and he hadn’t been ready to stop him.

Next time, he will be ready.

——

Logan found it difficult to keep his breathing under control as the television displayed Entropy’s speech loud and clear.

Entropy was _dangerous._

Logan didn’t operate as Night Owl for the fear he received. He did it because he wanted to. He never hurt anyone, never took anything too damaging, never destroyed an _entire statue_ just for a scare. It was a part of his life.

Entropy’s goal was unclear. Perhaps he just wanted to cause chaos— that was a common villain motive— but what was he getting out of it? To be more feared than Night Owl? Will he try to bring Night Owl into this and end the rival superhero completely—?

Logan stood up quickly. No, he couldn’t let his thoughts get out of control. He was a careful supervillain. He didn’t go out too often, and he was almost never caught. The likelihood of Entropy seeking him out was little to none.

No need to worry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not very good at writing villain monologues... oh well
> 
> ALSO I KNOW ENTROPY’S BEING KIND OF WEIRD RIGHT NOW BUT I PROMISE I HAVE A REASON AND A PLAN FOR HIM
> 
> If you have any questions about the story or the characters, let me know! I won’t spoil anything.
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: Saturday, August 17


	6. Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright next chapter! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Warnings: mention/use of sharp weapons

Roman turned a few times, examining himself in the mirror. Patton stood a few feet away, hands clasped together tightly as he smiled.

“What do you think?” Patton gushed, bouncing on his feet a little.

Roman and Patton had been working on Roman’s suit for the past few days in the safety of Patton’s apartment. Patton had managed to convince Logan to give them a few hours each day, claiming to his boyfriend that Roman was interested in electrical engineering and wanted Patton to teach him. Logan was a bit skeptical, but he left the apartment to give them space.

Roman’s suit was now a lot tougher than it had been before, able to withstand a lot of harsh blows, according to Patton. Roman had learned that through a lot of practice fights with the superhero.

The suit was white, his shoulders and joints lined in glittery gold. A wide red sash crossed the front of his torso. Roman and Patton had both approved of the “prince” design without hesitation.

Roman’s mask was what they changed the most. It was made completely out of the tough white fabric, covering the entirety of his face, leaving a space around his eyes. Roman had added red and golf designs to the mask so he looked less like a mummy.

Roman’s favorite part was the top of the mask. On the top of his head was a golden crown, fitting the entire prince aesthetic together. After a few tests Roman and Patton ensured that the crown was secure enough not to damage his mask or his head.

Roman took a deep breath as he stared at himself in the mirror.

“I love it,” he breathed, turning to Patton with a wide smile. Patton grinned back.

“This is— I cant—“ Roman’s words tumbled out as he twirled around. The suit felt _right_. “This is amazing! Th-Thank you!”

Patton laughed. “It looks great on you, kiddo!”

Roman finally stood still, although he still bounced on his feet a little. “So, what are we going to do about our weapons?” He asked.

Patton paused. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I’ve never used a weapon before. Neither has Night Owl, for that matter. I don’t know where Entropy got his baton.” His brow furrowed. “I suppose I could buy a real whip and then alter it, but where would I get that? And we still haven’t decided what to use for you.”

“Well,” Roman began, “since my whole thing is a prince, what if I used a sword...?”

Patton glanced him over, eyes wide. “Oh, that’d look really good! But, uh... isn’t that a little dangerous? You don’t want to _kill_ Entropy,” he added on with a chuckle.

“I know, I know,” Roman said hastily. “Swords don’t always have to cut things; they can also knock people down if you use the blunt side. Like Entropy’s baton.”

Patton quirked a smile. “That’ll work! If you know where to get a sword, of course.”

A nervous smile crept onto Roman’s face.

“I have one, actually.”

——

“ _Woah_.”

Patton reached out, gently running his hand down the smooth blade of the sword. It was cool to the touch, although his fingers seemed to tingle with a warm thrum of excitement. He had never touched a real sword before. “Where did you get this?” He breathed, glancing up at Roman.

Roman chuckled sheepishly. “I won it at an auction a few years ago,” he explained, running his thumb over the handle, which was embedded in gold and scarlet jewels. “It’s a real sword, but obviously I’ve never actually used it before.”

“That’s... that’s so cool!” Patton’s eyes were bright with astonishment. “And it works really well with your costume,” he added, comparing the red and gold on both the sword handle and the costume. His eyes narrowed teasingly. “Did you plan this?”

Roman grinned. “Maybe.”

Patton laughed before straightening up. “You said you’ve never used it before; will you need to learn how to use a sword?”

Roman shook his head. “In high school I was really interested in swords and royalty and kingdoms, and, uh, I ended up researching this a lot. I have a bit of practice.”

“Well, then...” a wide smile broke over Patton’s face. “You’re all ready, kiddo!”

Roman took a sharp intake of breath, an odd sense of relief and thrill washing over him. He smiled. “I... I guess I am.”

“And don’t forget!” Patton added. “Tonight we’ll meet up on the roof of Dewey’s.”

“11:00.”

“You got it, kiddo.” Patton grinned. “See you then.”

——

Roman bumped into Logan as he left their apartment building. Logan was just returning.

“Ah, good to see you, Roman,” Logan said with a tilt of the head. “Do you feel you’re learning a lot from Patton?”

For a split second Roman panicked; did Logan know?! Then he remembered their alibi. “Yeah. Engineering really is something.” He forced a smile, grateful for all the acting classes he took in high school.

Logan nodded. “Patton is quite happy with his career. He’s very talented. You’re lucky to have him as a teacher.” He gave Roman a swift nod before continuing on his way.

Roman paused, watching him go, a tiny feeling of guilt settling in the pit of his stomach.

He didn’t like lying very much.

——

Roman skirted the edge of the roof, dodging Fluorescence’s punch.

Fluorescence let out a breath of surprise as Roman lunged forward, grabbing him around the waist and shoving him to the ground. The superhero peered up at Roman, chest heaving.

“I think you’ve got it, kiddo,” he said approvingly. Roman beamed at him from behind his mask.

Roman extended his hand to help Fluorescence up. Once Fluorescence was on his feet he stepped back, crossing his arms to survey Roman.

“Well, you definitely can fight without your sword,” he chuckled. “Do you wanna...?”

Roman glanced over his shoulder at his sword, strapped to his back. He hummed. “No,” he finally admitted. “I don’t want to use my sword unless I have to. And I don’t want to accidentally hurt you.”

“Aww, thanks, kiddo!” Fluorescence tilted his head. “How does your suit feel? Did you get hurt at all?”

“No, not... not really.” Roman looked down at his arms, examining the white fabric. “I guess this material is pretty tough, after all.”

“I told you!” Fluorescence grinned. “Now all we have to work on is roof jumping.”

Roman hesitated, glancing towards the edge of the roof. His lips pressed into a thin line.

He wanted desperately to say no, but deep down he knew it was inevitable. With a sigh, he mumbled, “Let’s give it a shot.”

“Hey.” Fluorescence’s eyes softened. “You’re going to be just fine.”

Roman gave him a soft smile. “Thanks, Patton.”

A moment later they were at the edge of the roof. Roman’s heart thudded wildly, as if it was trying to warn him _this is dangerous_! He shifted on his feet, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

“Your shoes are built almost identical to mine,” Fluorescence was saying, voice steady to ensure Roman was listening. “They have springs inside that will help you jump. All you have to do is get a good running start and the shoes will do the rest.”

“W-What if something goes wrong?” The question left Roman’s mouth before he could think. He turned his gaze away, grateful that Fluorescence couldn’t see his blush behind the mask.

“Trust me, it won’t.” Fluorescence set a hand on Roman’s shoulder, forcing him to meet his eyes. “And even if something does happen, I’ll be right here.”

Roman swallowed, giving a tiny nod. “Okay.”

He backed up ten feet, keeping his eyes ahead of him. Fluorescence stepped to the side, hands clasped together as he watched.

“You ready?”

“Yeah.”

Roman closed his eyes, taking a deep, shuddering breath.

Then he ran.

The edge of the roof rushed to meet him, the great expanse below looming closer. With a sharp breath he kicked off the edge, gritting his teeth.

For a second there was nothing but him and the air, the only audible noise being the pounding of his heart and the whistle of wind around him.

Then his feet hit solid ground and the world came back to him.

He took several shaky breaths, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. Finally he straightened up, smiling and whirling around to look for Fluorescence.

His heart nearly stopped.

Fluorescence was gone.

He blinked, eyes scanning the opposite roof, wondering if he was going crazy. But no, the roof was empty, and Fluorescence was nowhere to be seen.

“Fluorescence?” He called out hesitantly. His voice was sharp and unnatural against the cool night air, splitting the ever-growing silence. His stomach twisted as the silence stretched on. No one responded.

He took a deep breath to steady himself. Where could he be? He wouldn’t just _leave,_ would he?

Before he could decide what to do next, someone grabbed him around the shoulders and yanked him back.

Roman let out a shout of surprise, but it was quickly silenced when something glinted in front of him.

A knife.

A _knife_.

Roman froze, hands still gripping the arm that held him against their chest. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the smooth, silver knife, mere inches away from his throat. Cold, paralyzing fear settled in his stomach.

_oh god oh god oh god what’s happening what do I do I’m going to die I’m going to die oh god what do I do what do I—_

The knife eased closer and he let out a sharp cry, attempting to push himself back and therefore into his captor’s chest. He couldn’t breathe he couldn’t think he couldn’t _think_ —

Something shifted against his back and his thoughts latched onto his sword— his sword, literally strapped to him, the handle poking just above his shoulder. If only he could reach back and grab it.

He twisted slightly and the knife moved again. A different thought crossed Roman’s mind.

His entire body screaming with adrenaline, he lurched himself upwards and back, sending the handle of his sword slamming right into his captor’s chin. They gasped in surprise, their grip loosening just enough for him to rip himself out of their grasp.

He tore his sword from his back, whirling around to face them, blade gleaming.

He nearly dropped his sword.

“ _Patton_?” He cried, eyes locked on the superhero. Fluorescence was holding his face, knife still held loosely in his right hand. He sent Roman a pained smile.

“You—“ Fluorescence began.

“ _What the hell?”_ Roman threw his hand into the air, other hand still firmly gripping his sword. “What was that? Why would you— were you trying to kill me? What was the point of that? PUT THE KNIFE DOWN.”

Fluorescence slipped the knife into a pocket Roman didn’t know he had. Fluorescence held up his hands and stepped back.

“I’m sorry, Roman,” he said, sounding completely genuine. “I really am. I didn’t want to do that either. I just wanted to make sure you could get out of a dangerous situation like that.” He brought his hand to his chin. “And it seems you can,” he added with a smile.

“Wh...” Roman lowered the sword, blinking several times. “So I’m not going to die?”

“Absolutely not!”

Roman heaved a breath, finally slipping his sword away to the sheath on his back. “Well, good,” he said a little defensively. He wasn’t certain he would ever get past that.

“Nice jump, by the way,” Fluorescence commented. “I’m proud.”

“Uh, thanks,” Roman said a little sheepishly. He had completely forgotten about his jump when faced with the terror of a knife to his neck. “I, uh... do you always have a knife with you?”

Fluorescence nodded. “Since I don’t have a weapon, I keep it with me. Just in case.”

Roman tilted his head, his gaze flickering to the edge of the roof. “So... what now? Am I ready, then?” He couldn’t deny the spark of excitement in his chest.

Fluorescence looked out into the city. “Well, I was hoping you’d get a chance to actually fight a supervillain...”

Roman caught sight of what Fluorescence was looking at. A shrouded figure perched on the top of a building, gleaming silver baton vaguely visible.

“And I think this is your chance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahahahahHAHAHAA
> 
> FINALLY Roman’s becoming a real superhero! I hope you’re excited for the next chapter >:)
> 
> Question for the comments: do you like the superheroes (Roman and Patton) or the supervillains (Logan and Virgil) of this story more? Who would you help?
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: Saturday, August 24


	7. First Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this took a while
> 
> Hope you enjoy it! I won’t say too much because I don’t want to give anything away. ;)
> 
> TW: fighting, weapons, a little swearing, fear of death, heights

The gentle breeze was nice.

Roman took a breath, allowing the cool air to drift over him. He closed his eyes for a moment as he readied himself.

Finally, he was going to face Entropy head-on.

His eyes fluttered open again. He was balanced on the edge of a roof, watching Entropy on the next building over. Entropy was facing away from him. He appeared to be... waiting for something.

Somewhere behind him, Fluorescence watched, encouraging him on but not engaging. He knew this was all up to Roman and was staying at a distance.

Roman was okay with that.

He took a deep breath before steadying himself, not taking his eyes off Entropy. Focusing only on his own breath and the pounding in his chest, Roman leapt forward onto the next roof.

Entropy visibly tensed as Roman landed. Roman lifted his chin, watching as Entropy slowly turned around.

Dark eyes locked onto Roman’s. A stroke of fear touched his chest but he pushed it away, not taking his eyes off of Entropy.

“Hello there,” Entropy said simply.

Roman took a step forward. His voice felt unnatural and sharp as he spoke. “Entropy,” he responded with a mock politeness.

Entropy tilted his head. “I see someone finally decided to show up,” he crowed. “Thought I’d be waiting here forever.” Roman pressed his lips into a thin line, moving closer still.

“I’m the Prince,” he said coolly.

“And I’m here to stop you.”

——

Fluorescence’s eyes flickered between Prince and Entropy, his heart threatening to pound out of his chest. As nervous as he was, his fear was also riddled with pride. Prince was finally doing it. He was finally facing Entropy with his head held high.

Based on their posture he could infer that they were talking; however from his vantage point two buildings away, he couldn’t hear them. As long as Prince stayed unharmed, he shouldn’t have to worry too much, right?

Just as Prince was advancing closer to Entropy, something caught his eye. Fluorescence turned his head quickly, eyes wide as he saw a dark winged figure cutting through the air at least three buildings away. His heart sank.

_Bad timing, bad timing, bad timing._

Fluorescence glanced worriedly between Night Owl and Prince, back and forth until he finally came to a decision. While his heart cried for him to stay with Prince, he knew it was his job to stop Night Owl.

_Sorry, Roman, but you’re on your own for this one._

With a surge of several indescribable emotions, Fluorescence spun on his heel and sprinted after Night Owl.

——

Entropy lifted his head. From this close, Prince could see the way his eyes glinted, occasionally flickering to the sides before locking back on Roman. His form had seemed relaxed and unconcerned before, but Prince could see how he tensed when Prince spoke.

“The Prince?” Entropy echoed, eyes flashing with amusement. “Took you long enough. I had to blow up a statue before you decided to go after me.”

Prince pursed his lips. He had to be roughly fifteen feet away from the supervillain now. Entropy still made no moves to react. “Oh, I’ve always been there,” he retorted, trying to mimic Entropy’s cool demeanor. “Waiting.“

Prince held one hand out, lowering his head in a bow. “And finally, we meet.”

Entropy chuckled as Prince straightened up again. “Nice touch. Way to stay in character.” He shifted, his baton gleaming in the light. “So, you here to fight me? Turn me into the police? _Kill_ me?” His eyes flickered with a dark sort of amusement. “Well, bring it on, Princey. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Not yet.” Prince hadn’t gotten into a lot of fights before, but whenever he did they never had weapons. He was willing to stall for time as much as possible to avoid attacking Entropy. “I wanna talk first.”

“Well, go ahead then, Your Highness.”

Prince narrowed his eyes. Fluorescence hadn’t mentioned how... _casual_ this would be. His eyes skittered over the horizon but he caught no sight of his mentor. “What do you want?” He was very close to Entropy now. His form became more tense. “There’s no way you’re doing all this just to frighten some people. What’s your motive?”

“World domination,” Entropy said dryly, his voice layered in sarcasm. “I want to rule the world.”

For a split second Prince didn’t catch his sarcasm, but he quickly regained himself. “Very funny,” he shot back with the same exact tone. “Tell me the truth.”

Entropy’s eyes danced back and forth before locking on Prince again. “As if I would tell some wannabe superhero,” he growled, shadows falling over his eyes as he lowered his head. “Listen, Prince. If you don’t want me to hurt you, I would get out of here.”

Prince scoffed. “I’m not worried about _me_ getting hurt.”

In less than a second Entropy was brandishing his baton, holding it in front of him like a silver shield. He twirled it once in his hand. “Now, I’ll give you one last chance to run away before I throw you from this roof.”

Prince never responded. In a flash his sword was drawn, the length of the blade held a foot or two from Entropy’s face. When had he gotten so close?

Entropy was quiet for a moment, his eyes focused on the sharp tip. Then his gaze flickered back to Prince. “You don’t even know what I’m planning.”

“I don’t need to know,” Prince muttered. He was focusing on the blade, wondering if he was actually going to have to use it. He didn’t want to actually hurt anyone, not even a supervillain. “I know what you’ve already done.”

Entropy’s eyes narrowed, contemplating. Finally he lifted his chin. “Fair enough.”

Prince’s breath caught in his throat. Before he knew it Entropy was swinging his baton and the next thing he felt was a sharp blurring pain in his right leg. He stumbled, letting out a pained cry.

Not even a second later Entropy struck his left shoulder as well, giving Prince no time to react before stabbing the end of the baton into his chest and forcing him back several paces. Prince gasped for breath.

And in the blink of an eye, Entropy was sprinting away at top speeds.

_No!_

Ignoring the blinding pain, Roman grit his teeth and chased after him, knuckles tightening around his sword.

Entropy was _fast_. His feet seemed to dance over the rooftops as he crossed several buildings in what appeared to be a matter of seconds. Roman struggled to keep up, but he managed to stay close behind the supervillain.

After a minute or two the buildings began to curve, shaping around a wide highway cutting through the city. Another, thinner road was raised above it, crossing at an angle. Poles and wires and signs extended to either side, and as Entropy never ceased his pace, Prince realized he was planning on crossing it.

Cars and other lights were flashing and glowing, illuminating the road in the moonless night. Light flooded over Entropy just as he reached the edge of the roof closest to the road—

—and he skidded to a halt.

“Wh—!” Prince let out a yelp of surprise as he nearly slammed directly into Entropy. He had been expecting him to jump!

Entropy spun around, lunging for Prince, but Prince was ready this time. He ducked under the attack and slammed himself into Entropy’s legs, knocking the supervillain down. He let out a huff and did his best to block out the ringing in his ears.

Entropy was back on his feet almost instantly, the baton suddenly spinning at Prince’s chest. A striking pain filled his chest and winced before hoisting up his sword and swinging at Entropy.

Genuine panic flashed in Entropy’s eyes and he dropped down just as the sword sliced through where his head was. Prince glowered down at him for a moment, realizing Entropy thought he was really going to try and kill him with the sword. He huffed before going for another blow.

Entropy dodged out of the way again before swinging his baton. Their fight rapidly grew quicker and quicker, as they dodged and threw strike after strike after strike. Roman could barely focus on anything else other than him, Entropy, and the roof below his feet. Pain flashed in his mind but he ignored it.

Something tingled in the back of his mind but he didn’t pursue it. Something he was supposed to remember.

Just as Prince went for a punch, Entropy grabbed his wrist and yanked him to the side. He lost his balance, feeling himself falling before Entropy grabbed him around the shoulders.

He was about to push Entropy’s hands away but Entropy threw him forward. Lights danced in his vision for several seconds before he really processed where he was.

...Leaning over the edge of the roof, staring out into the street. Entropy holding his shoulders was the only thing keeping him from plummeting to certain death.

Fear overcame his heart so quickly it felt like lightning. For a second or two he lost his breath, but it quickly stretched on into what felt like minutes. His mind was screaming as his lungs refused to take in a breath, one wrist held in Entropy’s hand pinned to his shoulder, while the other gripped the railing. His sword was definitely discarded somewhere behind him.

“I warned you,” Entropy hissed, his voice hoarse from the fight.

Prince’s voice trembled. “Don’t.”

He wished he could muster out something— _anything_ tougher than that single word, but fear was overriding his senses. Cars were flashing in his eyes, his vision rapidly trying to adjust.

Entropy paused for just a second, so short that Prince wondered if he had imagined it. “You’re not going to be able to stop me,” he said sharply. “Nobody can. Try all you want, but you’re always going to end up here, hoping I won’t kill you.”

Prince’s chest heaved, trying to focus on Entropy’s words and not the deathly drop below him. “I- I could stop you.”

“Do it then. Stop me.”

Prince gritted his teeth, wishing he had the strength or courage or willpower to fight Entropy off— but the sight of the cars and the fear of falling sent his body still. He didn’t want to risk it. He couldn’t risk it.

He could feel Entropy’s gaze on him. “I guess you can’t, can you?” The supervillain murmured, adjusting his grip on his suit. “Pathetic. Only one person bothers to show up and stop me and he can’t even fight back.”

Something clicked in Prince’s mind, the same tingling feeling he had gotten earlier. He blinked, a sudden realization crossing his mind.

_Where is Fluorescence?_

His eyes flickered to his left and right. Was he still watching? If so, why wasn’t he doing anything? His hurt was suddenly replaced by coursing fear.

If he wasn’t here, what had happened to him?

“What did you do to him?” Prince forced out through his teeth. He couldn’t quite comprehend words at the moment.

Entropy untensed ever so slightly, caught off guard. “What— who?”

Prince swallowed, pulling his free hand closer to him. “...Fluorescence.”

Entropy was quiet for a long time. Then he spoke up, “You think I did something to Fluorescence?”

Prince didn’t respond. He was vaguely aware of his feet beginning to slip.

“Why would I care about him? I beat him up a week ago. What would I gain from hurting him?”

“Who were you waiting around for, them?” Prince shot back, twisting slightly. He subconsciously balled his hand into a tight fist as he recalled the supervillain hovering over the rooftop, watching. _Waiting_.

Entropy let out a breath. “Not Fluorescence, Princey.”

There was a silence for a second.

“I was waiting for Night Owl.”

For a moment Prince forgot about the street far below him. His heart skipped a beat. “N-Night Owl?”

Entropy suddenly tightened his grip, forcing him forwards a few inches more. Prince inhaled sharply and went silent, hands trembling. Gravity was really pulling at him now, trying to yank him down.

“But I think we both know Night Owl’s out with our other friend, isn’t he?”

_Prince’s feet were sliding._

“What’s wrong Princey? Scared of heights?”

Before Prince could answer, a rush of wind hit them and the full force of gravity came crashing down on him.

In less than a breath, his feet slipped from the roof.

Prince let out a strangled cry and attempted to twist himself around, but soon enough he was falling, plummeting to certain death, and _Entropy was falling with him._

Entropy let out a sharp cry, throwing his hands out in panic as he was dragged down with Prince. The world began to spin and blur and Prince squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for everything to end.

His eyes snapped open again as something tightened around his torso and everything jerked to a halt.

He forced his disoriented vision on the cars and lights below him, and slowly he came to realize that he was still suspended. His gaze flickered up to see Entropy, one arm looped around Prince’s waist, the other hooked onto his baton. His baton was extended, balanced between two narrow balconies and keeping them from falling.

They were silent for a long moment, their heavy breathing the only noise besides the light wind. Entropy tightened his grip around Prince’s waist, and Prince vaguely noted that Entropy was surprisingly thin behind the suit. Prince could see the way he struggled to hold up both himself and Prince, his arms shaking.

Their eyes fell on an open window directly below them, and their gazes met with the same understanding. They spoke no words as Prince grabbed onto the bricks of the building, easing his way through the small space. He glanced back just as Entropy entered as well, clicking his baton to diminish it as his feet hit the carpet.

Prince barely registered the fist that was flying before Entropy decked him in the face.

Stars danced in his eyes. He staggered back, his hand flying to his face just before Entropy struck a blow to his stomach. He doubled over, letting out a gasp.

“You—“ Entropy said through gritted teeth, kicking him in the shins. “little— shit—“

“Wh—!” Prince threw his hands up, shoving Entropy back. The supervillain stumbled, a scowl crossing his face. “You’re the one who let me fall!” He snapped, his heart still pounding wildly from both the fall and from being pummeled. “How is that my fault?”

“You went and dragged me off! We could have died!” Entropy snatched his baton up, raising it threateningly. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

“What?!”

Entropy advanced on him and Prince stumbled back into a desk. He only now realized they were in an empty office building. “You can’t just show up acting all high and mighty when you can’t even save yourself from being pushed off a roof. I was never planning on killing you, but it seems like you’re gonna get yourself killed anyways.”

“I’m not gonna get myself killed!” Prince snapped, although he could feel his confidence faltering. “I can defend myself just fine! I’m alive now, aren’t I?”

“Thanks to me.” Entropy stepped closer, his dark eyes glimmering with anger. “Listen to me, _Prince_. You are going to die if you come back.”

Prince’s eyes flickered to the baton. “You’re not gonna kill me now?” He asked quietly, narrowing his eyes.

Entropy was quiet for a second before suddenly the baton was slashing through the air. The cold weapon made contact with the side of Prince’s head, sending a ringing pain through his entire body. Prince gasped and staggered, his vision dotting with black.

“Consider this a warning,” Entropy growled. The world blurred for a second and then Prince was looking up at the supervillain, his vision swimming in and out of view. He had collapsed. “Next time I won’t hesitate to kill you.”

Prince breathed heavily, unable to focus on an answer. The last thing he saw was Entropy walking away, leaving him lying on the floor of the office building.

Before he knew it, everything was overcome with darkness.

——

When Prince awoke, the building was still dark and empty.

Wincing at the pain echoing in his head, he slowly sat up, glancing around. His vision was slightly blurry for a moment, sending yet another headache through his skull. Nothing appeared to had changed, so he estimated he was unconscious for an hour at most. He released a breath, taking notice of the scratchiness in his throat.

He pulled himself to his feet, adjusting his mask. His entire body ached, but he ignored it to try and plan what to do next.

First he needed to go up to the roof and retrieve his sword, if it was still there.

Then he needed to go find Fluorescence.

Taking a deep breath, Prince set off on his mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I literally rewrote this chapter so many times, all with wildly different endings, I don’t even know where to start
> 
> I really hope you’re happy with this chapter! I’m not exactly sure about how Entropy turned out. He seemed a little too... vicious than he should be, but he’s supposed to be an intimidating villain, so I had to scrap one of the drafts where he was way too nice
> 
> Question for the comments: Which side are you most like?
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: Sunday, Sept 1


	8. Later That Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place the same night as last chapter! (Sorry if it seems kind of rushed, I didn’t have time to edit it. Oops haha)
> 
> also NIGHT OWL’S POINT OF VIEW  
> I’m so happy! It’s been so long since I got to write from his POV :)

Night Owl knew Fluorescence was following him, but he ignored him.

He had spotted him a while ago. He moved quickly from building to building, pausing occasionally, but he never stopped to confront Fluorescence.

Now he was on top of a six story building, wings folded as he peered over the edge. In his peripheral vision, Fluorescence moved closer, and he supposed he might as well get this over with now rather than later. Maybe he would get the chance to throw Fluorescence off his trail.

So, with a sigh, he turned to face Fluorescence. “I can see you.”

Fluorescence froze. He was standing on the next building over, clearly startled that he wasn’t as stealthy as he thought he was. After a moment of hesitation he straightened up and jumped to the other side.

“What’re you planning, Night Owl?” Fluorescence asked stiffly as he approached, eyes sweeping left and right.

Night Owl shifted slightly, immediately noticing Fluorescence’s unusual behavior. He would usually make a joke or at least some sort of greeting before delving into Night Owl’s motives. “What happened to you?” He asked cautiously, avoiding the question. Fluorescence jerked his head up, eyes widening.

“Well, I’ve gotta make sure you’re not up to anything. Kinda my job,” he added with a tip of the head.

Night Owl raised an eyebrow and stepped back. “Well, I can assure you I’m not _up to anything._ You’re city is safe.”

“Safe? With a supervillain roaming the streets?” Fluorescence peered closer. “What are you planning?”

“I’m not planning anything.”

“Come on, Early Bird, you can tell me.”

“I told you before, I’m not planning anything. Can I go now?”

Fluorescence fell silent for several seconds before he dashed forward. Night Owl jerked back in surprise, his hand flying to his pocket before he realized Fluorescence wasn’t moving. He had only pretended to attack.

He snatched his hand away, but Fluorescence’s gaze had already fallen on his pocket. A triumphant twinkle appeared in his eye as he leaned forward. “Whatcha got there?”

Night Owl vaguely heard the sound of police sirens, blaring in the distance. Fluorescence slowly turned to the way they had come, eyes fluttering as he processed the noise.

Finally he glanced back, eyes wide, and Night Owl knew he had figured it out.

“The jewelry shop,” Fluorescence said simply. Night Owl tilted his head but didn’t respond. “You robbed the same jewelry shop as Entropy, didn’t you? That’s where I saw you leaving.”

Night Owl, feeling a little bold, pulled a pouch the size of his hand from his pocket. Fluorescence’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“Of course you would expect a large bag to fit all the jewelry,” Night Owl pointed out, shaking the bag a little. He couldn’t help but smirk. “However, I’m a bit more practical than Entropy.”

He slid the pouch back into his pocket. “After all, why take the jewelry when you could take all the money?”

Fluorescence stiffened, eyes wide. When Entropy had robbed the store he had taken over a thousand dollars in jewelry. In a low voice he asked, “How much did you take?”

Night Owl hummed, pretending to count on his fingers. “About a thousand. You’d think they’d improve their security after their last break-in, but no, I was in and out in less than a minute.”

Fluorescence stepped forward, hand outstretched. “Don’t make this difficult. Hand it over.”

Night Owl lifted his head. He couldn’t deny that he was surprised. Something was definitely off with Fluorescence today if he was just skipping over their usual banter.

“No thank you,” he replied after a moment, stepping up onto the wide railing off the roof. Fluorescence tilted his head back to keep his gaze on him as he did so. His hand drifted to his torso, and Fluorescence’s eyes widened.

Before Fluorescence could say anything, Night Owl leaned back and fell right off the edge.

Fluorescence shouted something as he fell, but it was lost in the wind. Night Owl flipped himself over and pulled a switch on his suit, allowing his silver wings to snap open. A second later, he was flying forward across the street.

A triumphant grin crossed his face. Now, all he had to do was get far enough away to lose Fluorescence, and then he could get back to his original plan.

His boots thudded against the side of a building and he caught himself against the bricks, taking the time to peer over his shoulder. Fluorescence was a blue blur, sprinting across several roofs in an attempt to follow him, for the street Night Owl had crossed was far too wide for him to jump across.

Night Owl chuckled to himself. Fluorescence was always easy to throw off his trail, as long as he moved quickly and swiftly.

In less than a minute he scaled the side of the building and jumped to the one next to it. He crossed several buildings this way, parallel to Fluorescence across the street. The wind whistled in his ears.

He continued gliding from building to building, but to his frustration he couldn’t seem to lose Fluorescence. He could still see him, glowing blue in his peripheral vision, hot on his trail.

He skidded on his heels, turning to the side and flying to a different building. Several minutes passed as he zigzagged across the city, until finally he couldn’t see the blue glow anymore.

He exhaled in relief. This couldn’t be a moment too soon, for he had just reached the highway that cut through the city, glittering with lights and cars. He had no doubt he could cross it if he wanted too, but his logical side reminded him just how dangerous that would be.

He turned around, facing away from the highway. He scanned the rooftops for Fluorescence, but he didn’t see the superhero anywhere. Good.

Night Owl straightened up, peering around.

If everything went according to plan, Entropy should be out in the city right now, looking for him.

His wings gleamed in the moonlight as he paced the roof. He had been hoping Entropy would see him while he was running from Fluorescence, but the supervillain was nowhere to be seen. With a huff, he stopped and placed his hands on his hips.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Entropy was smarter than he looked and wasn’t out there waiting for him.

Night Owl had spent a long time studying Entropy, trying to figure out his motives and his intentions. Once it occurred to him that Entropy hadn’t hurt anyone yet, he concluded that he just wanted infamy, to be feared. Night Owl had no idea why Entropy would want that, but once he figured it out he pounced for it.

If his suspicions were correct, Entropy wanted to be more feared than Night Owl, who had been terrifying the city for over a year.

And what better way to do that than to publicly defeat Night Owl?

Night Owl pressed his lips into a thin line. He wasn’t scared of Entropy, not at all.

But he wasn’t about to let some wannabe supervillain take over his role.

He pulled the pouch out of his pocket. There was over a thousand dollars inside. He had thought that if he struck the same store Entropy did, he could send a message that he wasn’t scared of him. That Entropy should come out and fight him himself.

But, it seemed he was wrong. Entropy wasn’t here.

There was a movement far to his left. Night Owl turned sharply, catching sight of a figure on the rooftops several buildings away. Upon closer inspection, he saw that they were wearing white.

He blinked in confusion. Usually normal citizens didn’t walk around on their rooftops in the middle of the night. Who were they? What were they doing?

He crept closer, keeping his eyes on the mystery person. They really stood out like a beacon with all that white. Night Owl was grateful that his costume was almost entirely black.

Night Owl was starting to think they were just a normal citizen when they suddenly turned, picked something up, and _jumped across the street_ to another building.

A small breath of surprise escaped Night Owl’s lips as the mystery person began jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

He had only ever seen Fluorescence do that.

He was stunned as the mystery _superhero_ vanished among the city, becoming only a distant dot of white. At least, he assumed they were a superhero. It only made sense.

_Someone else was trying to stop Entropy, too._

Night Owl lifted his head.

The world suddenly became much more interesting.

——

“Prince!”

Prince jerked to a halt, relief flooding his chest. He turned around and caught sight of a glowing figure, jumping onto his rooftop with open arms.

He had been looking for Fluorescence for a while now, crossing rooftop after rooftop. His entire body was screaming at him, still aching from his fight with Entropy, and he knew he was bruised all over. It was a relief to finally see his mentor.

“Fluorescence,” Prince breathed, moving forward to hug him. Fluorescence threw his arms around him, although his embrace was light, seeming to understand that Prince was hurt.

“Are you okay? What happened? I’m sorry I couldn’t stay and watch, Night Owl showed up and I had to go after him!” Fluorescence leaned back, still keeping his hands on Prince’s shoulders as he scanned his face.

Oh. So that’s why Fluorescence hadn’t helped him. “We fought,” Prince began, his head aching as he recalled the fight. “For a while. But then he knocked me out and he got away.” He bit his lip, stomach twisting with disappointment that he had failed.

“He knocked you out? Do you feel okay?”

“A little achy, but nothing too permanent, I don’t think.” Prince took a deep breath. “W-Wait, did you say you ran into Night Owl?”

“Yeah.” Fluorescence sighed. “He got away too.”

“Entropy...” Prince inhaled sharply. “Entropy said he was waiting for Night Owl.”

Fluorescence’s brow furrowed. “He was... waiting for him?” He took his hands from Prince’s shoulders. “When I saw Night Owl, he had already robbed the same jewelry shop Entropy did. Do you think they’re connected somehow?”

Prince jerked back in surprise. _Were_ the two supervillains connected? How? Why would they strike the same store and then wait around for each other?

“Do you think they’re... working together?” Prince asked hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper.

It wasn’t impossible. Entropy wanted to be powerful. Had he gone to Night Owl, the most powerful supervillain out there, for help?

“I... don’t know,” Fluorescence admitted. “When Night Owl spoke about Entropy it didn’t seem like he liked him. He said he was more practical or something.”

Prince was about to respond but he got lost in a coughing fit. A moment later he brought a hand to his head, wincing at the pain.

Fluorescence’s features softened. “We’ll talk about this later. But first, let’s get you home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry this chapter was basically filler. I hope you enjoyed it still! 
> 
> Every writing tip ever: DONT USE EPITHETS  
> Me:  
> Me:  
> Me: then the superhero—
> 
> I have the main storyline planned out already, but if there are things you want to see (more Night Owl and Fluorescence interactions, more Remy, etc.) let me know! I’ll do my best to try and work some of it in :)
> 
> For those of you who are a little confused:  
> Night Owl thinks that Entropy is plotting to take him down, so he robs the jewelry store in a more efficient way to try and anger Entropy. He is hoping that Entropy will show up and face him, which Entropy does, and Entropy ends up waiting on the rooftop. The plan is messed up when Prince finds Entropy instead, and Fluorescence goes after Night Owl. Entropy and Night Owl still haven’t met.


	9. Good Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’M SO SO SO SO SORRY for how long this chapter took! I lost track of the days :0
> 
> Hopefully this chapter will make up for it
> 
> Please enjoy!

When Roman woke up Monday morning, he felt as if his entire body was exhausted.

The aching in his joints was unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the tender bruises littering his entire body. Blotches of purple trailed down his limbs, flaring with pain every time he touched them. The most noticeable was a deep bruise streaking across his chest, so dark it was nearly black, where Entropy had hit him with his baton. On the right side of his face, beginning underneath his eye and ending at his jaw, was a colored bruise that stood out against his tanned skin. He sighed as he stared at himself in the mirror.

It took a little less than an hour to do his makeup just right, his bruise only being noticeable if someone were to squint really hard at his face. He settled for wearing a long sleeved orange jacket and black jeans, hoping that nobody would notice the faint marks on his hands and neck. He took a concerning amount of aspirin as well, hoping it would clear his headache just a little.

An hour later he found himself in his lecture hall, listening to his professor drone on and on about poets and musicians or something else he couldn’t quite pay attention to. Usually he would be focused, determined to learn everything he could, but the pounding in his skull refused to let him do so.

_I should have taken more aspirin,_ he thought to himself.

About halfway through the lecture his phone lit up, displaying a call from Patton. Roman was thankful he had turned his ringer off so he didn’t draw attention to himself with noise or vibrations.

Despite his urge to answer, he declined the call and turned back to his teacher. Even if he wasn’t paying attention, he wasn’t going to cause a distraction by answering the phone.

A minute later his phone lit up with a notification— a text from Patton.

_How are you doing?_

Roman’s lips quirked in a smile but he kept his attention on the professor.

_oh wait don’t you have a class today_

_don’t forget to take notes!! Call me later!! :)_

Roman let a smile overtake his features, ignoring the confused look he got from the girl next to him. He self-consciously covered his bruise, pretending to rest his head.

Just as the clock neared the end of class, the professor pulled out a clipboard. “Before we end things, I’m supposed to tell you that there’s going to be a tour of the college for a high school class next Monday. We need ten to twenty volunteers to be tour guides. If you’re interested, please sign up on this clipboard after class.”

Roman peered at the clipboard. Why not? He wouldn’t mind showing some teenagers around, and it would be nice to do some... _normal_ things for a change.

So after class ended, he walked right up to the front of the hall and wrote down his name.

He gathered up his things and left the lecture hall, weaving his way through the crowd of students. Once he was a good distance away he sat down on a park bench, calling Patton’s number.

The phone rang twice before Patton answered cheerily, “Yellow?”

“Hi, Pat.”

“Heya, Roman! How was class?”

“Pretty boring, actually,” he replied. He lowered his voice. “I didn’t... feel great.”

“Yeah, that’s gonna happen. Are you doing okay?”

“I feel a little better than this morning, I guess. I’m just happy I didn’t break anything.”

“That’s a relief! Did anyone notice anything?”

“I have a rather nasty bruise on my face but I covered it with makeup.” Roman touched two fingers to his cheek.

“Oh, smart. I hope you feel better!” There was a pause as Roman voiced his thanks. “I was wondering, how do you feel about coming in today to work on electrical engineering?”

Roman blinked. “Do you mean...?” He trailed off, wondering if Patton was just using it as a cover-up in case Logan was around.

“No, no, I actually mean electrical engineering. Sorry, I probably should have explained! I feel like Logan’s starting to get suspicious, so maybe I could actually teach you some things.” Patton laughed softly. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but—“

“No, that makes sense,” Roman replied with a smile. His smile immediately fell. Was Logan really getting suspicious? What if he figured it out?

No, that’s impossible. Roman brushed himself off and continued. “So, what time should I head over?”

“I was thinking in an hour or two?”

Roman’s gaze flickered over his phone screen. It was 11:43 now. “That works for me.”

“Great! So, I’ll see you then?”

“Yeah,” Roman responded, smiling. “See you then.”

“Alrighty! Bye, Roman!”

“Bye, Pat.”

The call ended with a click. Roman slid his phone into his pocket and stood up, pulling the sleeves of his jacket down to cover more of his arms.

Just as he stood up, a hand landed on his shoulder, and he jumped a mile in the air.

Roman whirled around, bringing his hands up as fists. Remy’s eyes widened behind his sunglasses and he stepped back.

“Woah there Ro, it’s just me.” Remy shoved his hands into his black jacket pockets, giving Roman an amused look.

“...Oh.” Roman coughed, lowering his hands and straightening up. “Sorry, you scared me. What’s up?”

“ _Well_ ,“ Remy began, a grin creeping over his features. “I learned the cute guy’s name.”

“Pink hair guy?”

“Yep! His name is Emile Picani and I got his number.” Remy held up his phone for emphasis, unable to contain his smile.

Roman laughed, fist-bumping Remy. “Way to go! You’re basically married now.”

Remy sighed dreamily. “Our wedding’s next week. Don’t miss it.”

Roman chuckled. “Speaking of next week, I signed up to give a tour to those high schoolers.”

Remy made a face. “Oh, yeah. My professor might have mentioned it but I don’t think I was listening. Oh well. Have fun dealing with a bunch of moody teenagers, gurl.”

“ _You’re_ a moody teenager.”

“Hey, I’m nineteen! And I’m older than you.”

“By a month,” Roman shot back, grinning. Remy lightly punched his shoulder.

Roman winced slightly, his shoulder aching. Remy yanked his hand back, eyes wide.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t hit you that hard, did I?”

Roman forced a laugh. “Are you kidding? I have bones of steel.” Remy scoffed, but his smile showed through.

A girl walked by, wearing a headband that looked like a crown, and Remy lifted his head like he just remembered something. “Oh yeah, did you hear about that new superhero?”

Roman jerked back, his heart dropping to his stomach. “Wh-what?”

“You didn’t see it?” Remy lowered his sunglasses to peer at Roman. “Hold on, let me find it. Somebody got a picture of a superhero last night. Well, people _think_ they’re a superhero. Nobody actually knows.”

He scrolled through his phone for a minute before he showed Roman a screenshot from twitter. A small breath escaped Roman’s lips as he leaned forward, eyes locked on the photo.

It was him in his Prince attire, a blur of white and red, halfway in a leap across buildings. Roman’s wide eyes met Remy’s.

“I... woah,” he forced out. He was nervous. Why was he nervous? He wanted people to know who he was, didn’t he? “That’s so...” he gestured uselessly with his hands. “That’s crazy.”

“I know, right,” Remy pressed, tucking his phone back into his pocket. “People are pretty certain they’re a superhero because they were chasing after Entropy, apparently.”

“Do you think he’s a superhero?”

“Probably,” Remy said with a shrug. “Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Roman was slightly taken aback. “What?”

Remy cracked a smile. “As long as no supervillain gets in the way of my Starbucks, I’m good.”

Roman released a laugh, refraining from giving Remy a shove. He was oddly relieved, but he couldn’t exactly place why.

He paused, knowing that Patton was expecting him soon still. “Oh right, I should probably go soon.”

Remy gave him a curious look. “Whatcha up to?”

“Someone from school asked me to meet up,” Roman lied, hoping Remy wouldn’t press any further. Remy fortunately only shrugged and adjusted his jacket.

“Alright. I gotta go grab some Starbucks, anyways.” He flashed a grin. “See ya, Roman!”

“Bye, Remy!”

——

Roman stared down at the papers, more confused than he’d ever felt in his life. Patton gave him an amused smile from his seat next to him at the table, taking notice of how totally lost he was.

“Electro...” Roman scanned the papers, trying to make sense of all the long words and graphs.

“Electromagnetism,” Patton finishes for him. “The interaction of electric currents and magnetic fields.”

“Ah, yeah, that.” Roman gave a sheepish smile, tracing a line on a graph. “So this is, uh, the amount of electricity?”

“You could say that,” Patton chuckled.

Logan glanced up from his seat on the couch. “How many tutoring sessions have you had?” He asked, peering at Roman curiously. “Four, right? That seems like quite a while to learn the term electromagnetism.”

“We’re reviewing,” Patton shot back almost instantly, although his tone was playful.

Logan shrugged and continued to his book.

Roman shifted a little and listened as Patton explained different terms to him. He understood most of it, but in a much more real sense, he didn’t understand a thing. However, he refrained from asking too many questions and making Logan suspicious.

“So how often do you actually work?” Roman asked after a moment, glancing to Patton. “Do you work for a company or something?”

“Oh! I actually design circuits and fix electrical problems for companies. They contact me and I work on a project for them, which usually takes me at least a week.”

“How do you make time for all this?” Roman asked. How did Patton handle being an engineer and Fluorescence at the same time?

Patton gave him a warning look, and Roman tensed, hoping he didn’t give anything away. Logan hadn’t reacted.

“Logan usually helps me make a schedule,” Patton said, giving Logan a smile. His boyfriend waved back. “I typically work in the mornings, when I have the most free time, but it really depends when I can work some progress in.”

Roman tilted his head. “I hate getting up early,” he laughed. “I would not be able to do that.”

“I got used to it after a while,” Patton said with a shrug. “Although our schedules don’t always line up,” he added on loudly, giving Logan a knowing look.

Logan flipped a page in his book. “I’m more of a night owl anyways.”

Roman cocked his head curiously. “So, are you working on a project now?”

“I’ve gotten a few emails recently,” Patton responded, twirling a pencil in his hand. “But they’re just some wiring problems. Nothing too time-consuming.” Roman nodded in understanding.

Patton straightened the papers, giving Roman a smile. “Now, where were we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what’s this? A chapter where everyone’s happy? *doubt
> 
> ALSO YAAAAAY REMY
> 
> I know this chapters kind of dull compared to the others... but just wait for next chapter. Just you wait >:)
> 
> Also thank you for all your suggestions on what you’d like to see! I love all of them!
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: Monday, September 16


	10. Breathless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was fun to write, although it is a little short. Hopefully the content makes up for it! Enjoy!

Roman had exactly two nights to rest before he was out on the streets again.

And by “out on the streets”, he meant he was chasing after Entropy, sword in hand.

It had all happened very quickly; Patton had convinced him to join him on a quick patrol of the city, making sure everyone was safe. He hadn’t expected to see Entropy at all— but once he did he was after him in an instant.

“I’ll be there if you need me,” Fluorescence had told him. “But I know you can do it.”

Prince flung himself from building to building, doing his very best to stay close to Entropy. Entropy had noticed him a while ago, and had picked up the pace pretty severely. His chest heaved but he refused to slow.

Adrenaline coursed trough his veins. Entropy was growing nearer. Just a little longer...

Entropy vanished.

Prince staggered in shock before sprinting forward again. Entropy hadn’t _vanished,_ he had fallen between the buildings.

Prince lunged forward and looked down to see a dark figure scaling down the side of a five story building. He was a little more than halfway down, and he was fast.

“Halt!” Prince shouted, but Entropy obviously didn’t listen. The supervillain jerked his head up, meeting his eyes. His grip loosened and he allowed himself to fall the rest of the way.

“H-Hey!” Prince yelped in surprise. Entropy’s legs buckled as he hit the ground, but after a second or two he regained himself and sprinted out of the alley and into the empty street.

Prince cursed under his breath, swinging his body over the edge of the roof to clamber down. He struggled a little but managed to climb down without any major problems.

He turned, but he couldn’t see Entropy. Nevertheless, he barreled forward to cross the street in the general direction Entropy had gone.

A car honked at him, but he ignored it, running through another row of buildings. His eyes darted back and forth, searching for the supervillain.

“Hey! H-Hey!”

Prince whirled on his heel, locking eyes with a lanky girl with two blonde braids. She swallowed hard and pointing to the building next to her.

“I think E-Entropy just climbed this building,” she said hoarsely, taking a step back.

Prince’s hope returned. He gave the girl a nod. “Thank you, ma’am,” he said before lunging towards the ladder and climbing to the roof. The girl nodded shakily.

Prince stood at the top of the roof, heart thudding. He ignored the aching in his feet and his heaving breath as he scanned the horizon for Entropy.

Finally, he spotted him, two buildings away.

Entropy was leaning against a wall, holding himself carefully. Had he been hurt?

Prince peered closer. He recalled when Entropy had saved him from

falling— the way he was quite thin under the suit. It was possible the chase had simply been too much for his body.

Prince triumphantly crossed the two buildings. Entropy noticed him too late; jumping to his feet just as Prince landed twenty feet from him. Prince tightened his grip on his sword as he approached.

“Nice to see you again, emo nightmare,” Prince called.

Entropy’s eyes gleamed in amusement. “Emo nightmare. Haven’t heard that one before.”

“I pride myself in my creativity,” Prince said with a tilt of the head. He took a step closer, lifting the sword slightly. “What are you up to?”

Entropy took a step back, keeping the same distance between them. “I’m not doing anything,” he replied. “You were the one who went after me.”

“So no bombs this time?” Prince pressed. Entropy’s eyes narrowed.

“No bombs, Princey. You can relax now.”

“Not so fast.” Prince advanced closer. “There’s something in your pocket, isn’t there?”

“There’s nothing in my pockets,” Entropy huffed. “Can I go home now?”

Roman glowered for a moment before stepping ever closer. They had to be five feet apart now. “I don’t trust you.”

“You aren’t supposed to trust me, Princey, I’m your enemy.”

“Let’s see what’s in your pockets, then, nightmare.”

Just as Prince lunged, Entropy dropped down. He threw himself against Prince’s legs, knocking the superhero off balance and leaving him breathless on the ground.

In less than a second Prince was on his feet, swinging the blunt side of his sword. Entropy ducked again and again, dodging each and every one of Prince’s blows.

But finally, Prince struck his target. Entropy let out a shout as the blunt side of the sword hit his chest, throwing him back several paces. Prince threw himself forward again, leaving the sword in one hand as he pulled his arm back for a punch.

Entropy suddenly had his baton and brought it smashing down, striking his arm holding the sword. Prince cried out, dropping the weapon.

The baton was swinging again, slamming into Prince’s arm for the second time. A blood-chilling _snap_ split the air before Prince’s arm exploded in fiery pain.

“A-Ah!” Prince staggered, stars beginning to dance in his eyes. The pain ripped from his arm to his shoulder, forcing him to grit his teeth and grab his shoulder.

He waited for Entropy to attack, to strike him while he was weak, but no attack came. Prince’s eyes fluttered open and saw nothing.

No, not nothing. Someone was approaching, landing on the roof and running to him...

“Prince! _Prince!_ Roman!”

Fluorescence gently grabbed his shoulders, lowering them both to the ground. Prince hissed in pain, still gripping his shoulder but terrified to touch his elbow where the break was.

“P-Patton?” He forced out. By god, his head hurt so bad.

“Hey, hey,” Fluorescence said softly. “You did good. That was amazing. But we have to go now.”

“Where’s Entropy?”

“He— he ran off. I think I can still see him—“

“No, go after him, go after him!” Prince met Fluorescence’s brown eyes. “I’ll be okay, I’ve broken bones before, just go.”

“Roman—“

“Go. After. Him,” Prince hissed out. “Do it for me, Patton.”

Patton’s eyes shifted from several different emotions, from looking torn to finally determined. “Okay. But I won’t be gone long.”

——

Entropy had hurt Prince.

The city blurred around him as he ran from building to building, not even sure where he was going. His hands were trembling, his knees so weak he was surprised he could even run so quickly.

He had hurt Prince _before_. He had attacked him and knocked him out. Why was this so difficult now?

He couldn’t get Prince’s cry out of his mind. The flash of pain and surprise in his eyes, staggering back. He had _done_ that to him.

_You hurt him._

The sudden twist of his stomach forced him to stagger and halt. His chest heaved as he gasped again and again for air that wouldn’t come. The guilt swarmed his body like a cold fire, burning and eating at his very bones.

He stumbled forward, swinging himself over the side of the building. It was only two stories, but he still needed to grip the ladder and slowly lower himself into the alley. His hands shook so bad he was afraid he might fall and break his _own_ arm.

The crack of bone echoed again and again in his ears. His legs buckled as he hit the ground, but his time he didn’t stand.

He was vaguely aware of his knees hitting the ground as he sank against the dark wall of the alley, holding himself so tightly he knew his knuckles were white underneath the gloves. His lungs screamed for air but he couldn’t breathe _he couldn’t breathe_.

His hands scrabbled at his throat, reaching for the base of the mask. He tore it away, allowing the cool night air to touch his face and fill his lungs. His chest heaved, never seeming to take in enough.

A dry sob escaped his lips, but no tears accompanied it. His heart raced much too fast for it to be safe.

_You hurt him_.

Gloved hands dragged down his face. The back of his head hit the building and he stared weakly up into the sky. He laid there, chest heaving, head spinning.

Movement caught his eye. He flinched back, his entire body going deathly still as he stared into the eyes of Fluorescence, gazing over the side of the building.

In a flash his mask was back on his face and he was running, running as fast as he could, fear filling his veins, wanting nothing more than to get away and for this god-forsaken night to be over.

The cold guilt never left.

——

Fluorescence didn’t go after the young boy in the wrong costume.

He couldn’t get the fear-stricken face out of his mind, the way his hands shook and how the suit looked much too dark for his pale complexion. Those dark eyes were embedded in his mind, alight with panic.

He was young.

He was much too young.

A soft exhale escaped his lips and his eyes fluttered closed. His stomach twisted.

He needed to get back to Roman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *silently adds Angst as a tag*
> 
> FINALLY, A REVEAL. AND WE GOT ENTROPY’S POINT OF VIEW. IT’S HAPPENING, GUYS. :D
> 
> If you have anything to say about this don’t be afraid to let me know in the comments! (I thrive on your support)
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: Monday, September 23


	11. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter! I’ve been looking forward to writing this one for a while.
> 
> I never edited this, either, so I apologize if it seems choppy or has grammar mistakes!

Once Roman had gotten over the shock of fracturing his wrist, the whole “hospital experience” was starting to become quite boring.

Roman was brought in at two in the morning. Roughly half a day had passed, and now it was three in the afternoon. The bandages on his arm felt heavier than usual.

Soft piano music played over the speakers. Roman laid back on a mound of pillows, gaze lingering on the ceiling. Maybe he should call Patton.

Patton was the one to bring him to the hospital and pay for his bills, since Roman was a broke college student and all his family lived in other states. Roman never got the chance to thank him before he passed out.

The nurses had informed him that while he was sleeping Patton had left. Roman didn’t blame him— it would be extremely suspicious if Logan saw that Patton was missing the same night Fluorescence was out and about.

So, Roman was alone.

Someone knocked on the door, and Roman sat up slightly, expecting a nurse. “H—“

“Oh my _god_ , gurl, what did you do?”

Roman blinked in surprise as Remy marched in, a basket of chocolates in one hand and a Starbucks in the other. He set the basket down on the table next to Roman and peered down at him expectantly.

Roman let out a breathy laugh. “Oh, hey, Remy.”

“Are you okay?” Remy asked. Roman blinked. It was odd hearing concern in Remy’s voice.

“I’m alright,” Roman admitted. “I think I’m doing okay for a broken wrist.”

“Thank god you’re alive.” Remy brushed his hair out of his eyes, looking at his friend through wide eyes. “All I heard was that you were in the hospital. Nothing else. I thought you were dying, gurl.”

Roman’s features scrunched. “Wait, how did you know?”

“Some guy contacted me over Twitter, said he was a friend of yours and told me what happened, all that.”

Patton? Roman shifted, biting his lip. What had he told him?

“Oh, so he... told you what happened?” Roman began carefully.

“I mean, all he said was that you had a broken wrist.”

Oh. Roman nodded. “Yeah, I fell.”

“You fell? In the middle of the night?”

Roman was thankful for his acting skills. “I was meeting with Patton and I stayed a little too late, so he walked me home. But then I tripped and fell on my wrist.”

Remy paused, eyes narrowed slightly. Finally he seemed to accept Roman’s lie. “Who’s Patton?”

“A friend. Probably the guy who contacted you, because he’s the only one who knew.”

“Oh.” Remy shrugged, taking a sip of his Starbucks. “Well— oh, yeah.”

“What?”

“Are you still going to do the college tour thing for the high schoolers? I can tell your professor if you can’t make it.”

“I need to stay in the hospital for a few days,” Roman said thoughtfully. “Isn’t it next Monday?”

“Nah, they moved it to the week after. So you’d have time, I think.”

“Oh, I’ll be okay by th—“

Roman was cut off by another knock. He and Remy turned towards the door, where both Patton and Logan stood. Patton waved. “Hey, kiddo!”

Roman smiled. “Hi, Patton.” Remy nodded to the couple as they approached.

“Are you doing okay?” Logan asked softly. Roman gave a nod.

“It could be worse,” he admitted. Logan nodded.

“If you don’t mind,” Patton but in. Roman only now noticed the worry etched over his features. “I need to talk to Roman alone.”

Remy and Logan shared a glance, looking equally confused. After a second Logan inquired, “Is there a reason why we can’t be here?”

Patton pressed his lips into a thin line. “I’ll explain later. Just... we need to be alone.”

Remy shrugged, straightening up. “Alright then. We can wait outside.”

Remy and Logan left the room and gently shut the door behind them. Roman met Patton’s eyes.

“What’s going on?” He breathed.

Patton’s gaze flickered nervously to the door. “I— do you remember after you broke your arm, and I went after Entropy?”

The memories resurfaced quickly. “Yeah... but he got away, right?”

“W—“ Patton cut himself off, struggling with his words. “Roman, when... when I went after him, he was hiding in an alley, and— and he had taken his mask off.”

It took a second for the words to process— but once they did Roman sat up, eyes wide. “I— wh— you _saw_ him?”

Patton swallowed hard. “Yeah. But...”

“What?”

“He’s just a kid, Roman.”

Roman blinked rapidly. A kid? “What... do you mean?”

“He was _so young_. There was no way he was past high school. And he was really thin and pale and—“

“Wait wait wait,” Roman cut him off. “Are you _worried_ about him?”

Patton shifted uneasily. “...I guess so?”

Roman let out a shaky exhale, running a hand through his hair. “Patton, he’s a supervillain.”

“Roman, you didn’t see him. I think there’s something wrong.”

“W-Wrong?”

“Maybe he has no choice,” Patton pleaded. “I just— I can’t imagine a teenager wanting to hurt so many people.”

For a second Roman believed him. He thought about how thin Entropy felt when he caught him mid-fall. He thought about the way he had yet to actually hurt another person.

Then his features hardened. “That’s no excuse. Child or not, he’s causing chaos and destroying statues and frightening people. Just because he doesn’t hurt people physically doesn’t mean he doesn’t hurt them mentally.”

“But...” Patton trailed off. He stayed quiet for a minute before he finally spoke up. “Let’s just agree to disagree.”

Roman’s argument was just on the top of his tongue, but finally he gave in and sighed. “I... okay.” He shifted back into the pillows a little. “At least you’d be able to recognize him now, right?”

Patton gave a so-so gesture with his hand. “Uh... maybe. It was pretty dark, but I’m pretty sure I could recognize him.”

“Well, that’s good,” Roman offered. He did feel a bit guilty for making Patton upset. “Oh, and—“ he bit his lip. “Are you really going to tell Logan everything?”

Patton’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? No! What gave you that idea?”

“You told him you’d explain everything.”

Patton’s confusion vanished as he remembered. “Oh! No, I just said that because I didn’t have an excuse ready.” He let out a breath. “I’m just going to say I care about you and wanted to talk to you alone, or something.”

Roman grinned. “Aw, you make it sound so nice.”

Patton laughed.

——

“I wonder what they’re talking about,” Remy hummed.

Logan glanced over at him. They were both leaning against the wall outside the door, waiting. Besides introducing themselves, they hadn’t talked much.

“I honestly have no idea,” Logan admitted, adjusting his glasses. “I wasn’t aware they were very close outside of their work relationship.”

“Work relationship?” Remy peered at him. “Weird. How do they know each other again?”

“Patton is mentoring Roman in electrical engineering.”

Remy made a face. Logan didn’t know the college student very well, and he wasn’t great at reading faces, but it was very easy to see that Remy was confused. “Wait, what? Since when?”

“He didn’t tell you?” Logan asked curiously. He turned towards Remy slightly. “It’s been a few weeks.”

“He’s never mentioned it to me.” Remy’s face fell slightly like he was disappointed, but it was masked quickly. “And I didn’t know he was interested in chemical engineering.”

“Electrical.”

“Yeah. That.”

Logan shrugged. “I did find it odd myself, for a drama student.”

“Yeah, I know Roman hates math and all that.” Remy chuckled. “At least he’s trying something new.”

Logan nodded, but an odd feeling had settled in his stomach. Until now, he had never really questioned Roman. But it didn’t sit right now, knowing he hadn’t even told his best friend.

“Can I have your number?” Remy asked after a moment. “Patton told me about Roman’s arm over Twitter, but it’d be nice being able to contact you two directly.”

“Of course.” Just as they finished exchanging information, the door creaked open. Patton peeked outside.

“Hey, you guys can come in now.”

Logan and Remy shared a glance as they entered the room.

“Wow, that took a while,” Remy declared pointedly. “I bet it was important.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it weird to be hyped for your own story
> 
> What did you think? Please let me know! :)
> 
> I LOVE REMY AND LOGAN SO MUCH AND I HOPE YOU FEEL THE SAME
> 
> Also finally, we get that sweet sweet suspicion
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: Wednesday, October 2


	12. Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, hey.
> 
> I am so, so, SO sorry for disappearing for over a week there. I haven’t been having a very good week, and once I realized I had missed the deadline, I kinda slacked off. 
> 
> However I’m glad to say that I’m feeling much better! I finished up the chapter a few days ago, and although I’m not completely satisfied with it, I think it’s about time I updated this story.
> 
> So, thank you so much for your patience, and on to the story!

_Remy:_

_hey quick question from a fellow gay_

_how do u get a cute guy to fall in love with u_

Logan’s gaze flickered over the texts and he let out a chuckle. Remy had been texting him a lot recently, despite the fact they had only spoken once face to face.

_Why_? he responded.

_R: well u have a bf and I want a bf so how did u do it_

_L: We met in an engineering program in college and ended up spending a majority of our time together. He confessed his feelings for me about two year after we met._

_R: nice nice_

_R: do you think the hot guy in my class likes guys in eyeliner_

Logan smiled as he responded, _My point was that you should spend time with him, but if you want to wear eyeliner, then go for it._

Logan was not an expert on relationships, but it seemed Remy would take any advice he gave him. Besides, it was nice to have someone younger look up to him.

He glanced up as the door opened. Patton stepped inside, his hands in the pockets of his blue jacket.

“Patton?” Logan inquired.

Patton met his gaze, smiling. “Hey, Logan. How was your day?”

“Quite uneventful. If you don’t mind me asking, why are you wearing your jacket? It’s very warm today.”

Patton’s smile fell slightly. He adjusted the jacket, glancing down. “I like the color.”

“Ah,” Logan said, although he didn’t quite get it. Isn’t he overheating? “I just don’t want you to get too hot.”

Patton winked and Logan let out a breathy laugh. “You know what a meant, Patton.”

“Right. I’m fine, don’t worry.” Patton crossed the room to fill up a glass of water as he spoke. He took a sip, leaning against the wall to face Logan. “Tomorrow morning I’m gonna go see Roman again. It’s been a few days since he got to the hospital, you know?”

An odd feeling brushed Logan’s heart but he pushed it away. “That’s good. Are you going alone?”

Patton shrugged. “I mean, that’s what I assumed.”

Logan fell silent for a moment, his hand subconsciously fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He usually didn’t fidget much.

“Where did you meet Roman?” Logan asked after half a second. He blinked, a bit surprised at himself for letting the question slip.

Patton seemed surprised as well, but he regathered himself. “Oh. Remember when I lost my drivers license?”

“I do remember, yes.” Logan’s brow furrowed as he recalled. “Right, wasn’t Roman the one who found it?”

“Yep!” Patton smiled. “I talked to him at the police station, and then we started talking about engineering, and I offered to teach him.”

There. That was the part Logan didn’t understand.

“You offered to teach him directly upon meeting him?” Logan asked warily. The odd feeling in his heart still hadn’t gone away.

Patton faltered and shrugged. “Well, we went out for coffee later, and then I offered.” He finished his water and set the glass down. “I mean, it’s not like he’s a murderer or anything. He’s nineteen.”

Logan frowned but nodded. “...right.” He shifted, a few more questions just on the tip of his tongue, but Patton spoke first.

“It’s getting late,” he said offhandedly, glancing towards the clock which read 9:57 PM. “I think I’m gonna head to bed.”

For a second Logan wanted to point out that they had both stayed up much later than that, but the words never left. He shrugged and sat back.

“Okay.”

Patton gave him a smile and vanished into his room. The door gently clicked shut, and the room was silent.

Logan pressed his lips together, his gaze lingering on the wall. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for the couple to be a bit tense with each other, but every time he couldn’t help but feel guilty about it. Was he doing something wrong? Of course, his suspicion of Patton might be confusing his senses. Maybe Patton was just tired.

His eyes fell onto his palms. He ran a finger over a pale scar on his opposite hand, one he had gotten roughly a year ago when he was fighting Fluorescence. He had told Patton he he accidentally cut himself on a piece of glass.

For just a second he yearned to put on his super suit and explore the city, but the heavy feeling in his stomach said otherwise. With a sigh, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

He didn’t really feel like being evil at the moment.

——

The second Patton’s door was shut, he collapsed onto his bed.

He winced, letting out a breath as he removed his jacket. A long dark bruise ran over his right arm, beginning at his wrist and ending just below his shoulder. He shuddered and sank into his bed, not even bothering to treat it.

He had spent the evening scouring the city as Fluorescence, and found himself stopping a mugging. Unfortunately, he wasn’t prepared when the mugger whacked him with a crowbar.

At least the victim is safe, he thought to himself, lightly running a finger down the bruise.

Patton sighed, sinking into his pillows.

For a second his intrusive thoughts got the better of him, and he considered telling Logan everything. That he was a superhero. That he’s been a superhero for over a year.

What would Logan say? Patton smiled a little, picturing Logan’s face. He would want to know everything, how his suit worked, how he kept it a secret.

Then his smile fell and he shut his eyes. He couldn’t tell Logan. There was no way he would put him in danger like that, not with supervillains like Night Owl and Entropy around.

He pursed his lips slightly, sitting up as he remembered Entropy. Where was he now? His stomach twisted. Did he even have a home?

The last time Entropy had been out in the streets was the night Patton saw him without his mask. Of course, Patton didn’t want him to endanger himself, but he wanted so desperately for the supervillain to show himself again so he can talk with him.

He began to fiddle his hands together, staring at his ceilings. For the next few days, he’ll just have to be on watch. He needed to talk to Entropy.

_You’re not alone._

——

Entropy was not alone.

The dusty air tickled his throat, and he resisted the urge to cough, taking a step forward. His vision had long since adjusted to the dim lighting, but he found he couldn’t keep his eyes on just one thing. His gaze skittered over the floor and the walls as he tried to focus on anything other than the person in front of him.

Something was being handed to him. A faded pink paper.

He took the paper gently, the edges crinkling under his gloves. His eyes flickered up to meet a steady gaze.

“Three weeks from today,” the cool voice spoke. “You know what to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, writing this chapter: okay uhhh how do I apologize for completely vanishing
> 
> My brain: more remy 
> 
> Me: of cOURSE
> 
> -  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Trust me, being mean to Logicality is hurting me just as much as it’s hurting you. :(  
> (it’s for plot development i promise—)
> 
> I always appreciate kudos and comments! They make my day, even if I sometimes take a while to reply! :)
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: around Sunday, October 20


	13. Brass Court Mall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SO SO SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG
> 
> THIS IS THREE WEEKS LATE AND I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW SORRY I AM
> 
> I really, really appreciate all of your supportive comments on last chapter. I didn’t get the chance to reply to any of them, but I promise I read every single one, and they mean a lot to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your patience and kindness! I promise I’ll try my very best to get these chapters out on time!

The news droned on as Patton poured himself a cup of tea, careful not to splash any of the hot liquid out of the mug. He took a sip, paused, then added a pinch of sugar. 

_ “...evening news. As of right now, 10:48 PM, Entropy is rumored to be prowling the streets south of Brass Court Mall, so be on the lookout...” _

Patton jerked suddenly, the mug nearly slipping from his grasp. He spun towards the television, wide eyes scanning the screen. Once the information had fully processed he loosely flung the mug back onto the counter and flew into his room.

Not a minute later he had returned, fully dressed as Fluorescence. He adjusted his mask, eyes flickering back to the television.

_ “...establishments in that area are closing down for the evening. Please be cautious...” _

Fluorescence had already flung himself out the window.

——

Fluorescence balanced on the edge of a telephone pole, keeping his gaze locked on the mall across the street. The lights were dark, the enormous parking lot barren. It appeared the mall had been completely abandoned since earlier that evening when Entropy was spotted.

Entropy, as of now, was nowhere to be seen. Fluorescence bit his lip, glancing downwards to make sure he wasn’t about to fall off the pole. He wouldn’t blame Entropy if he fled the area, expecting a superhero to come after him. A superhero /did/ show up, after all.

But where was he now? Did Entropy even have a home to go to? Fluorescence’s heart twisted. What could possibly prompt someone as young as him to turn to a supervillain life?

He flinched as a flash of lightning split the air. He looked up, only to duck his head as a flurry of raindrops came crashing down on him.

Fluorescence couldn’t help but sigh, straightening up and preparing to jump to the next telephone pole. He never liked being out in the rain. It was so difficult to see, so difficult to get a hold on anything. On multiple occasions he had nearly slipped and fell off of wet buildings.

He bent his knees a few times before launching himself forward and leaping to the next pole. He crossed several telephone poles, moving in a parallel fashion to the street next to the mall.

He paused to catch his breath, clutching the wood of the pole tightly. He squinted, trying to ignore the rain streaming over his mask. Another bolt of lightning struck the air and he shuddered at the thunder that followed.

Was Entropy okay? Fluorescence leaped to the next telephone pole. He was young and fairly new to this. Did he know how to handle the rain? What if he slipped and fell and got hurt?

Fluorescence forced the thoughts away, focusing instead on the task at hand. Get out of the storm, and think about supervillains later.

But just as he went to jump across, his foot slipped on the wet wood. He cried out, his heart skipping a beat as he scrabbled for a purchase. 

Before he knew it he was falling.

He hit the grass. Fluorescence immediately gasped for breath, stars dancing in his eyes. A sharp pain echoed through his entire body, but it gradually faded into a dull thrum.

Fluorescence lay there for a few moments, chest heaving. He only finally sat up as thunder rolled overhead and reminded him what was going on.

He was thankful for the security in his suit, and the soft, wet grass. He pulled himself to his feet, wincing as his joints ached.

At this point, he could barely see three feet ahead of him. He held a hand just above his eyes, but it was useless to stop the pouring rain. He groaned, leaning against the pole.

Only one option stood out to him, and he decided it was worth it to get out of this horrid rain.

Fluorescence stepped forward, hugging himself as he crossed the street into the mall parking lot. Several times he nearly slipped, and he cursed himself for making his shoes so waterproof. The water rolled off too easily. 

Lightning flashed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. After several minutes, Fluorescence reached the building, enormous letters spelling out the words “Brass Court Mall.”

He dragged a hand over his face and approached the glass doors. Hesitantly he reached out, giving the handle a firm tug.

He stumbled back as the door easily swung open, as if inviting him in. He stared at the doorway for several seconds. _I... didn’t expect that to actually work._

Finally he shrugged it off and stepped inside, allowing the door to fall shut behind him. In the hurry to leave the mall, they must have forgotten to lock the doors.

It was dark, chilly, and admittedly unnerving, but Fluorescence was thankful to finally be out of the storm. He hugged himself, glancing around the clothing store. His stomach twisted knowing how wrong it was to break in, but in his defense, the door was unlocked, and there was no way he was moving from his spot near the door.

Fluorescence exhaled softly, leaning against the wall. He crossed his arms and offhandedly listened to the endless roar of the downpour outside.

A tiny, distant noise rang out through the air.

Before he knew it Fluorescence was standing straight up, heart pounding as his gaze scanned the mall. His teeth clenched with a sudden determination, unable to stop his stomach from twisting in panicked knots.

Someone else was in here with him.

He took a cautious step to the right, eyes turning from the shadowy clothing racks to the mannequins that suddenly seemed a bit too intimidating. The silence that had fallen was almost too much to bear, and Fluorescence strained to hear a breath or a footstep or anything that indicated the presence of the other person.

He edged along the wall. It was so eerily quiet now... had he imagined the noise? 

But just as he was beginning to doubt himself, Fluorescence saw him.

The gleam of purple against the shadows gave away instantly who it was. The silence was gone the second Fluorescence locked eyes with Entropy, for the young villain had already bolted.

“Wait!” Fluorescence cried, lunging forward. He shoved past several clothing racks, trying to keep his eyes on Entropy and still avoid knocking things over. He failed and prayed the store managers would forgive him for making a mess.

Fluorescence hadn’t forgotten how just how fast Entropy was. By the time he had reached a clear area of the floor, Entropy was over thirty feet away, turning the corner into another section of the mall.

“No— wait— I just wanna talk!” Fluorescence all but threw himself forward, chasing after Entropy. He was telling the truth; all he wanted was for Entropy to just calm down and explain himself.

It didn’t take long for Fluorescence to reach the corner, skidding as he turned into the next section of the mall. This area was fairly small, roughly square shaped and about forty feet wide. Unfortunately the enormous racks of prom dresses gave plenty of spaces for a supervillain to hide.

Fluorescence stepped forward, chest heaving and thanking the universe that his wet shoes hadn’t slipped on the floor. He cleared his throat before speaking. “Entropy, p-please, I just want to talk to you. I want to know if you’re okay.”

There was only silence. Fluorescence’s gaze swept over a variety of green dresses as he tried to focus on where Entropy could be. “W-We both know I saw you without your mask. You’re so young. Please, I just want to know why you’re doing this.” He took a deep breath before adding, “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t know who you are. And if you come out and talk to me now, I won’t hurt you. I’ll let you leave whenever. I won’t tell anyone. Please.”

There was a flicker of movement, about fifteen feet away. Fluorescence held his breath, but Entropy didn’t reveal himself. “I’m sorry that I have to fight you. I’m sorry that we’re enemies. But please, all I want is to help you. Let me talk to you.”

In a flash, Entropy was standing ten feet away from him, silver baton drawn. Fluorescence flinched and took a step back, trying to gauge his expression around his mask.

“Fine,” Entropy growled. “Let’s talk.”

——

_eight hours earlier_

Remy thought he was prepared, but the second he saw Emile walk through the door, all his confidence went out the window.

So instead of dropping a smooth pickup line when Emile passed by him, he forced out, “H-Hey, Emile.”

Emile glanced towards him, a little surprised. Remy didn’t blame him; the two of them spoke occasionally in class, but almost never interacted otherwise. “Hey there, Remy! What’s up?”

_okay okay okay here goes here goes here goes_

“Do you—“ Remy’s breath caught in his throat, focusing on the way Emile’s face changed when he listened, his little half smile appearing. “I was wondering if you’d like to go out for coffee with me sometime?”

Remy wasn’t expecting Emile’s eyes to light up with enthusiasm. “Wh— of course!” He exclaimed, leaning closer. “When?”

Remy’s stomach dropped as he scrabbles for an answer. “Oh— uh, I was thinking W-Wednesday? After class?”

Emile grinned, blue eyes shining. “Two days— sounds great!” 

Remy exhaled, his heart still racing. He gave a smile. “Y-yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:)
> 
> A few people have reached out to me and asked if they had permission to draw fanart for this story. AND OH MY GOD, YES, GO AHEAD, THANK YOU SO MUCH, THATS AMAZING??? I will always appreciate fanart, and thank you for asking permission! I only ask that if you do post it, PLEASE let me know so that I can see it :’)
> 
> Thank you for reading!
> 
> NEXT UPDATE: idk lol sometime in the next one to four weeks


	14. Keep an Eye Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! I don’t have much to say here, so enjoy the chapter! :)
> 
> TW: anger, acting out on anger (but no one gets hurt or anything don’t worry)

“Alright,” Entropy growled. “Let’s talk.”

Fluorescence’s heart skipped a beat as he finally met the supervillain’s gaze. Entropy’s baton was drawn, held in front of him defensively. Did he still expect Fluorescence to attack him?

Pushing away the uneasy thought, Fluorescence straightened up. “E-Entropy,” he began cautiously. _Don’t mess this up._ “I want you to tell me why you’re doing this.”

“Talking to you?” Entropy retorted, but the look in his eyes told Fluorescence that he knew exactly what he was asking.

Fluorescence decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. “What made you want to be a supervillain?”

Entropy scowled. “It’s none of your business.”

“I want to know.”

“Just because you’ve got me cornered in a shopping mall doesn’t mean I have to tell you anything,” Entropy sneered. “I beat you once, I can do it again.”

The memory of attacking Entropy over the fallen statue resurfaced in Fluorescence’s mind. His stomach twisted now that he knew his opponent was a _child_.

Fluorescence ignored the comment, shifting on his feet to steady himself. “I...” What could he even say? He just wanted answers. No, what he _really_ wanted was for Entropy to go home and promise to never subject himself to supervillain life ever again. “How old are you, Entropy?”

For half a second, Entropy looked genuinely confused. “What?”

“How old are you?”

Entropy‘s scowl returned. “Why do you want to know?”

Fluorescence took a deep breath. When would Entropy understand that his intentions were good?

They were enemies, he supposed. He just wished Entropy would look past that and _listen_.

“I saw you without your mask,” Fluorescence reminded him gently. Entropy visibly winced. “You’re, what, sixteen?”

“Seventeen,” Entropy muttered before going still, as if he didn’t mean to speak up.

“Seventeen,” Fluorescence echoed, feeling a little lightheaded. The supervillain in front of him, the person who had been terrorizing the city for over a month, was _seventeen years old_.

Entropy was silent, watching Entropy like a hawk. Fluorescence swallowed hard.

“Why—“ he took a deep breath, remembering how defensive Entropy became when he was asked questions. He phrased his next sentence carefully. “You must have a really good reason for doing this, then.”

Entropy adjusted his grip on his baton. “Maybe I just like hurting people.”

_You had a panic attack in an alley after breaking Roman’s arm._

Fluorescence’s eyes fluttered shut for a second before opening again. “Please, stop.”

Entropy’s eyes flickered.

“Stop... being Entropy.”

Entropy opened his mouth to speak, but Fluorescence cut him off.

“You have your whole life ahead of you. I— I still don’t know your reasoning for being a supervillain, but I do know that this is not your only option. Please— nobody has to know. Just go home and get rid of the suit. Burn it, if you can. Just— just—“ Fluorescence shuddered with each breath. “Please.”

Entropy’s eyes were wide, his expression unusually open. A second passed, and his eyes darkened. “Sorry, but it’s gonna take a lot more than that to convince me.”

“But—“

“I’m leaving now.” Entropy advanced forward, his baton held threateningly. “And you’re going to let me leave. That’s what you promised.”

“I—“ Fluorescence swallowed. “I... I promised.”

And with that, he stepped to the side and allowed Entropy to stalk past him. Fluorescence gaze flickered to the floor, but he glanced up again as Entropy hesitated.

Entropy turned towards Fluorescence. “Keep an eye out for April 16th,” he said, voice sharp and rushed. Fluorescence barely had time to blink before Entropy bolted, vanishing like a shadow into the dark mall.

Fluorescence stilled, eyes locked on where Entropy was just standing. When the supervillain spoke, his eyes had been nervous, his voice uncertain. The information had been dangerous to give out, but Entropy had told him, anyway.

Fluorescence exhaled, unable to deny the hope blossoming in his chest.

——

Night Owl’s fist collided with the tree.

He gritted his teeth, punching the small tree two, three, four times, until a split appeared down the pale bark. He paused, taking a deep breath, before scowling and tearing the bark away.

It was risky to stand in the park in the dead of night and terrorize trees, but at this point, Night Owl was too worked up to care.

With a loud curse he grabbed the thin tree with both gloved hands and slammed his foot into the base of the tree. It split, but barely; just enough for Night Owl to release a shout of frustration and back away, dragging his hands down his mask.

In seconds he was lunging at the tree, landing his heel at the splinter and knocking the tree flat. 

He stood over the limp form of the tree, panting from the exertion. His blood was still pumping with adrenaline, fueled by his thoughts.

 _A bit of an extreme reaction_ , he thought dryly, nudging a frail branch with his foot. Now that he had successfully taken his anger out on the tree, he was beginning to feel a bit foolish, especially since he knew this was a public park and tomorrow morning the dead tree will be found. He wouldn’t be surprised if someone had heard him attacking the tree, anyway.

It was his own fault for getting so worked up. And over what? He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had sparked his anger. Was it because he knew Entropy was out there, becoming more terrifying by the minute, while Night Owl was tossed aside as a minor obstacle? Or was it the simple, hopeless feeling of not knowing what his boyfriend was keeping from him? He winced, embarrassment flushing through him despite him being the only one around. 

He trusted Patton, he really did, but he just couldn’t shake the feeling that Patton was hiding something from him. Perfect, sweet, innocent Patton, keeping a secret from his boyfriend of over three years. They never kept secrets from each other if it was important. Not ever.

Well, Night Owl thought with a long look at his gloves, _he_ technically was keeping an enormous secret. But in his defense, how was he supposed to explain to his boyfriend that he was a supervillain?

An odd thought made its way into Night Owl’s mind. If they both were supposedly keeping a secret, and Night Owl couldn’t spill his because he was a supervillain...  
  
Could it be possible that Patton’s reasoning was the same?

Almost immediately Night Owl shoved the thought away. No, that was impossible. He couldn’t afford to jump to conclusions that quickly, just because he felt uneasy at the thought of Patton lying to him. He didn’t even have proof that Patton was keeping a secret in the first place.

With a shake of his head, Night Owl stepped forward to examine where the tree had fallen. The top part of the tree had landed into a bush, twisting the smaller plant at an odd angle. Night Owl nudged the tree aside to give the bush more space, brushing a few loose leaves to the ground.

He looked down at the tree wistfully, before murmuring, “Sorry.” Maybe another time he could find a way to replant a new tree. 

Just as his thoughts began to drift back to Patton again, he heard voices nearby. He jerked his head up, seeing the distant glow of flashlights.

He cursed under his breath. It seemed he had been too loud after all. 

After one final look at the tree, Night Owl bounded away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to leave a comment if you have any theories or suggestions! :)
> 
> (I feel like a YouTuber..... don’t forget to hit that like button and subscribe)
> 
> Question for the comments: if you celebrate, how was your Christmas?


	15. Leather Jacket

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!
> 
> Sorry for that, uh, nearly three month break. I’ve been a little busy but I hope this cute chapter will make up for it! I promise I will try to keep a consistent schedule from now on! :)

“7.98, please.”

Emile laughed to himself as Remy straightened up, showing off his wallet as he paid for their drinks. He took his frappe, breathing in the wam scent. It seemed Remy was intent on showing off for him, and to be honest, it was a little flattering, even if it was silly. 

“Have a great day,” Emile told the barista cheerily as the pair took their drinks and left the coffee shop. Emile shivered at the crisp night air, drawing his coffee closer to himself. Remy whistled.

“Woah. It got dark real fast.”

“I mean, that’ll happen in February,” Emile said teasingly. He glanced at his Mickey Mouse watch. “Also, it’s 7:00 in the evening.” 

Remy sipped his drink. Emile took a moment to glance over his outfit. He was wearing black ripped jeans and a silver top, accompanied by a black leather jacket and matching boots. The dark colors suited him well, in his opinion, although he wondered how he managed to stay cool in the warm Florida weather— and on top of that, he was drinking hot coffee.

Remy caught his eye and smirked. Emile smiled back. His own outfit couldn’t have been more different from Remy’s, but he liked the odd sort of balance. He wore a pink jacket over a white and yellow shirt, along with brown pants and white shoes. A yellow scarf hung around his shoulders, and he reconsidered his previous concern about how Remy managed to stay cool. Sure, it was fairly warm tonight, but the scarf was comfy.

They spoke for a while, mainly of their psychology class and what they were hoping to do with their futures. Emile told Remy how he was planning on becoming a therapist, and he beamed when Remy nodded and told him it was perfect for him.

“I like helping people,” Emile said simply, flushing a little. Remy smiled.

“Gurl, you’re so... understanding. And a great listener. You really...” Remy faltered for a moment, something Emile didn’t see often. “You’d be great.”

Emile’s heart soared. He fumbled for an answer for a moment before finally spurting out, “Th-thank you!” 

Remy laughed, giving him a gentle nudge as they walked. Emile pushed him back, dancing out of the way as Remy went to push him as well. Emile grinned, his eyes falling onto the sidewalk in front of him. “So, mind telling me where you’re taking me?”

Remy tilted his head. “You’ll find out.”

“I bet I can guess.”

Remy huffed affectionately. “Never.”

They turned the corner and the park came into view, a circle of grass and trees. Emile grinned. “Let me guess... the park?”

Remy looked a little embarrassed, but he flashed a smile anyways. “How’d you know?”

“Lucky guess.”

Remy laughed again. It was a nice sound, Emile thought to himself. Emile sank into his scarf with a blush, allowing Remy to take his hand and lead him across the street and onto the soft grass of the park.

They spoke quietly for a while, walking through the softly-lit park. Emile’s heart felt like it could burst, one hand holding the coffee Remy had bought for him and the other loosely grasping his date’s hand. As Remy told him about his family, Emile inched a little closer to him, feeling the warmth that radiated off of him and smiling to himself.

Emile had noticed Remy in his psychology class during his first day. He had transferred over from a different college a little over a month ago, and when he was walking in the first day, he almost immediately focused on the guy in sunglasses and a leather jacket, holding two coffees and sitting back in his seat as if he didn’t care for a thing in the world. Emile had, at first, simply assumed he was just another slacker and went to his seat. It was surprising to find out that the boy in the leather jacket consistently had the highest scores in the class.

So, naturally, Emile couldn’t help but keep an eye on the boy during lectures— noticing how, despite how laid-back he seemed, he nodded along to what the professor taught and raised his hand to answer questions. He smiled every time Remy’s hand casually lifted into the air when the professor asked a question. He was confident. (And it was cute.)

And it shocked him when, a few weeks into class, Remy walked right up to him and asked him for his number.

Remy texted him a lot, whether he was saying “good morning” or just sending him memes, and Emile adored it. 

A little over a week ago, the realization hit Emile that he had the biggest crush on the slacker in sunglasses and a leather jacket.

He wanted to burst into a song and twirl around and hug Remy when he asked him out, but because of some miracle, he managed to stay composed and agree to the date. (He couldn’t stop smiling for the rest of the day.)

And now they were _here_. Emile glanced at Remy as the taller man spoke; his eyes were light brown, nearly gray. He wondered if Remy knew just exactly how he felt.

He held Remy’s hand a little tighter. He didn’t need to tell him now. He could wait.

His gaze drifted over Remy’s shoulder, and his heart skipped a beat. “O-Oh. Remy.”

Remy blinked as Emile halted, turning to him. “What’s up?”

“It’s, uh...” Emile fell silent, gesturing up to the rooftops lining the edge of the park. Remy followed his gaze.

“Ah,” was all he said.

Two shadowy figures sprinted over the rooftops. It wasn’t hard to recognize Night Owl; the supervillain’s gleaming silver wings were pretty darn hard to miss. Someone was chasing him. Emile focused on them, expecting Fluorescence, or perhaps that rumored new superhero that he wasn’t even sure existed— but he was surprised to see that the other person was wearing black and purple, brandishing a silver baton.

“Is Entropy... going after Night Owl?” Remy said aloud, voicing Emile’s thoughts. Emile watched the supervillains grow smaller as they ran farther away.

“I think so,” he said nervously.

“But they’re both...”

“Supervillains,” Emile finished for him, glancing up at Remy’s face nervously. He stepped a little closer to him. 

“Isn’t it, like, pretty well known that Entropy hates Night Owl, though?” Remy furrowed his brow, seeming to notice Emile’s worries. “So, it’s probably not that weird to see, right?”

“I guess I just thought that... I don’t know.”

“What’s wrong?” Remy asked hesitantly. Emile couldn’t help but smile a little at Remy’s nervous approach. He cared, he could tell, but he didn’t want to be overbearing.

Emile swallowed, his face falling. “I mean... Night Owl’s famous for being the most dangerous villain around, right? So... why can Entropy just push him around?”

“Entropy’s pushing him around?”

Emile shrugged half-heartedly. “I mean, ever since Entropy stepped up as a villain, Night Owl’s been out less often. Have you noticed that?”

Remy took a sip of his drink. “I’ve never been into all that superhero stuff, to be honest. Too much drama for a couple of people in costumes.”

Emile snorted, and Remy smiled before continuing. “Gurl, I wouldn’t let it bother you. Besides, if anything weird happens, I’ll be here to protect you!”

Emile brushed at his pink hair, tilting his head. “Aww, you will?”

“You know it,” Remy said with a wink. Emile laughed, bumping against him teasingly.

He wasn’t going to let a few supervillains ruin their date.

——

Fluorescence’s gaze followed the two figures as they flew over they rooftops.

He was standing up on a balcony of a towering building, arms crossed in front of him, shoulders relaxed. When he had heard that Night Owl was out on the streets, he had gotten into costume immediately. However, for some reason, he found himself hidden away on a balcony and watching as Night Owl and Entropy crossed right in front of him.

Maybe it was the exhaustion that kept him from going after them; training another superhero, as well as the stress of keeping his identity hidden from his own boyfriend and worrying for Entropy, was extremely tiring. He wondered if Logan had noticed how exhausted he had been these past few weeks.

He shrugged the thought away, not wanting to add more to his stress. Besides, he knew it wasn’t just the exhaustion that was keeping him from joining the brawl.

He didn’t want to fight them.

Not either of them.

Entropy was a child. Fluorescence knew that the young supervillain had done terrible things, and he was on the road to do more— but he just couldn’t bring himself to fight a teenager. Just thinking about their battle over the shattered stature mere weeks ago made his stomach twist, knowing he had hurt a child. Sure, Entropy had won the fight, but that didn’t change the fact that Fluorescence had attacked him.

And Fluorescence knew Entropy didn’t want to be a supervillain. He didn’t have any physical proof— but his talk with Entropy was enough to confirm his thoughts. Entropy was uneasy, Entropy was flighty, and Entropy gave Fluorescence a warning. 

_“Watch out for April 16th.”_

Fluorescence had no idea what it meant. But he could tell, this was information he wasn’t supposed to have. Why had Entropy given it to him? Maybe Roman was wrong. Maybe the young, dangerous supervillain could be trusted.

Fluorescence’s gaze shifted to the figure shrouded by silver wings, barely noticeable now in the distance. 

And then there was Night Owl.

His enemy, the one who caused him to make the decision and become Fluorescence. Someone he knew well enough to predict his moves and advancements. 

He had spent so many nights fighting him, chasing him for hours, only to come home with bruises and a bloody nose and a feeling a satisfaction, knowing that he had done one right thing and stopped a villain from hurting his city. 

He had spent nights bantering with Night Owl, exchanging teasing remarks as quickly as they exchanged blows. He wasn’t afraid to crack a joke or make a pun as he confronted Night Owl on a rooftop, laughing as Night Owl reacted in a way similar to Logan; tilting his head like he was disinterested, but speaking only to reveal the amusement in his voice. 

He had spent one night sitting side by side with Night Owl on the edge of a roof, talking quietly, sharing his thoughts and feelings and nearly forgetting that he was sitting with his enemy. Night Owl— the man he had fought night after night for months on end— had done the same, sharing soft things about himself that Fluorescence was surprised to hear from a supervillain. 

That night he had admitted to Night Owl that he didn’t hate him.

He didn’t even realize it until that night.

Fluorescence jerked back to the present, his eyes falling onto his gloved hands. He subconsciously ran his hands over his arms. 

Thinking about fighting Entropy or Night Owl just made him feel... bad.

He hadn’t been afraid to fight Night Owl before this, but now knowing that Entropy may be misguided and undeserving of the treatment he received, he couldn’t help but feel that Night Owl may not be a horrible, evil villain. He never considered why Night Owl did the things he did, he just knew it was something he had to stop. 

But what if was wrong?

What if he shouldn’t be fighting Night Owl?

Fluorescence leaned forward a little, trying not to feel queasy. He took a deep breath.

He needed to do something.

He just had no idea what.

——

Remy stopped his car in front of Emile’s house before turning to the pink-haired man. “It’s your stop,” he said with a smile.

Emile laughed, looking over at Remy. His face melted into a beam. “...thanks, Remy. For asking me to go out with you today.”

Remy tilted his head, feeling his cheeks turn pink and hoping it wasn’t too visible. He subconsciously tapped the steering wheel with his finger. “I mean, you’re pretty cool. I liked hanging out with you.”

Emile glanced out into the dark sky before turning back to Remy. “I wouldn’t mind doing it again.”

Remy’s heart skipped a beat. “For real?”

“Absolutely!” Emile said brightly, leaning forward a little. “If you’re okay with it, of course?”

“Are you kidding?” Okay, Remy’s face was definitely pink now, but he didn’t care. He smiled. “Of course I’m okay with it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated!
> 
> ~big things are coming~


	16. Not All Secrets Can Be Kept

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I don’t thank you guys enough for all your kudos and comments. They mean the world to me and even if I don’t get around to replying to all of your comments, I still read each one and I appreciate all of them!! Thank you all so much for reading, ily :)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

Logan wasn’t in the best mood.

In the past few months his job as a mechanical engineer had been jeopardized by too many late arrivals, an overall lack of focus, and many of the other unpleasant side affects that derived from spending night after exhausting night as a supervillain. He was ashamed to admit that he had shown up half an hour late to work today, his third late arrival this month, and to make matters worse his boss had called him to her office to inform him that he needed to step it up or else he could risk being let go. Logan had apologized and promised it wouldn’t happen again. 

He made his way up the steps to his and Patton’s apartment, checking his watch. It was seven in the evening, since he had stayed an hour late to make up extra work and (hopefully) get on his boss’s good side. He winced. The idea of sucking up to anyone just made him feel ashamed. 

He walked down the hall to their apartment, a blue door which Patton had decorated with star stickers the week they had moved in. Logan took a deep breath and tried not to appear too downfallen, not wanting to dampen Patton’s mood with his own problems, before opening the door.

The first thing he noticed was the chilly temperature. He shut the door behind him, looking around the dark living space in confusion until his gaze finally landed on the open window, sending a soft breeze into the apartment. 

He rubbed his arms as he crossed the length of the apartment, closing the window. He supposed Patton must have left it open, which was reasonable, but how hadn’t he noticed how cold the apartment had gotten?

The second thing that caught his eye was a pink sticky note on the back of the front door. He walked back over, leaning to read the note (it was clear Patton had placed it at eye level, forgetting Logan was significantly taller than him, but Logan didn’t mind).

_Hey Logan! :)_

_I had to run to the store but I should be back soon! Hope work went well!_

_Love, Patton_

So, this explains why the lights were turned off and the window wasn’t shut when the temperature decreased. Logan flicked the light on over the kitchen area so he could see better and, after a moment of contemplation, went to make himself a cup of tea.

He filled their kettle with water and set it on the stovetop, then went to the cupboards and pulled out two mugs. It couldn’t hurt to prepare another cup, since he suspected that Patton had already been gone for a while and should be home soon. A trip to the store couldn’t take more than an hour, at most.

He leaned against the counter, staring at the floor absentmindedly. He couldn’t stop thinking about his work and the threat of being fired, something he never thought he would have to worry about.

All throughout high school and college he was a straight-A student. He never missed a class, he never turned an assignment in late. The idea that he might be fired for slacking off just... left him at a total loss.

The kettle began to shriek. Logan pulled it from the stovetop and filled both mugs with the hot water before setting it down and taking two green tea packets from the drawer. As he mixed the tea in, he wondered if he should tell Patton about his work situation.

 _Well, of course I should,_ he scolded himself. He never hesitated before to share something with Patton (except for the fact he was a supervillain, obviously) and he shouldn’t hesitate now. 

He turned at the sound of the door opening. Patton walked inside, holding a black bag in one hand and a bag of flour in the other. When he caught Logan’s eye, he smiled.

“Salutations,” Logan offered. “I made tea.”

“Oh, thank you. Let me drop this off and I’ll be right back.”

Patton set the flour on the counter before vanishing into his room with the black bag. He returned empty-handed, and although Logan was intrigued, he figured there were better things to discuss right now than Patton’s miscellaneous belongings. He handed Patton his mug of tea and his boyfriend took a grateful sip.

Logan hesitated, taking a moment to take a drink of tea. For an awful second he wondered if bringing up his lousy performance at work would lead to suspicion over the reason why, but he pushed the thoughts away. He had never failed to come up with excuses before; after all, it had been over a year and Patton still didn’t suspect him of having another identity. (In his defense, this wasn’t a typical thing to suspect of somebody.)

Logan cleared his throat, preparing to break the news to Patton. However, right as he was about to speak, Patton looked up from his mug of tea and spoke first.

“I need to ask you something.”

Logan, albeit thrown off, nodded and gestured for him to continue. “Go ahead.” (This meant he could put off sharing his bad news, so he really didn’t mind.)

Patton swallowed hard, his gaze skittering around the room before finally landing back on Logan’s. When he spoke, his voice was quieter than before, more hesitant.

“What do you think of Night Owl?”

Alarms went off left and right in Logan’s head, sudden and jarring. He blinked several times, trying not to let the mug slip from his grasp. “I— I’m sorry, what?”

There was no way he knew. Right? Had Logan slipped up somehow? Perhaps Patton had come across his supervillain costume on accident. Did he accidentally leave it out? He could have sworn he had hidden it properly—

He was jolted back into reality as Patton shifted nervously on his feet. “I just— I know this is weird, I’m sorry, I just— I want you to tell me exactly what you think of him. Please.”

Logan set his mug on the counter, not trusting his shaky hands. He prayed Patton wouldn’t notice. “May I ask why you are asking, Patton?”

“I— I’m not Night Owl, if that’s what you’re thinking!” Patton blurted out, worry crossing his features. “I promise! This is just— I’ll explain later, I swear.”

Some of the tension left Logan’s body as Patron scrambled to clarify that he wasn’t a supervillain. He scanned Patton’s features.

Maybe he didn’t know Logan’s secret.

Logan exhaled. “Okay, Patton. I won’t ask why. Night Owl...”

. _..is gonna get me fired._

“...is a supervillain, but... everyone knows that. He doesn’t seem very threatened by Entropy.” Logan hesitated, doing his best to picture his supervillain ego from a standard civilian point of view. To be honest, he and Patton never discussed supers much. “Er...”

Patton was still quiet, so Logan continued, scrambling for a safe answer. “I guess I wouldn’t exactly categorize him as a threat. Compared to Entropy, he has done far less permanent damage to the city.”

Logan fought hard not to scowl at his mention of Entropy. He really needed to keep his personal opinion of Entropy out of this, or Patton would pick up on it.

Why was he so certain that Patton would become suspicious of him? Logan took a moment to pick his mug up from the counter and sip his tea. Maybe it was his nerves getting to him.

“And, I suppose,” Logan said as he set his mug back down, “his relationship with Fluorescence is what I would assume to be atypical for a hero/villain dynamic.”

Patton leaned a little closer, eyes wide. “What makes you say that?”

Logan shifted from foot to foot. He mentally winced at his mistake; he had forgotten that an ordinary civilian would had no idea of how Night Owl and Fluorescence would interact outside of fistfights. “They... have been seen once or twice walking or sitting together in scenarios when they could have been fighting,” he finally managed. It was true; the morning after the night he and Fluorescence had confessed their respect for each other, the media was bombarded with photographs. “I suppose it’s surprising that either of them would call a truce.”

“Right,” Patton said softly before coughing and speaking up again. “Why do you think that is?”

Logan, without a doubt, could not wait to hear Patton’s explanation for these questions. He fiddled his hands together, taking a breath. “Perhaps... they are both passive people and occasionally refuse to fight?”

Patton tilted his head. “...Yeah, that could be it.”

Logan’s interest piqued. “What are you implying?”

Patton shrugged. “I’m just thinking that... maybe...” his voice became softer and softer with each word. “...maybe Night Owl’s not such a bad guy?”

Logan’s stomach jolted. “What...” he cleared his throat. “Care to elaborate?”

“I just—“ Patton floundered for an answer. “I mean, like you said, he hasn’t done nearly as much damage as Entropy. So, maybe he just doesn’t want to hurt the city. And as far as we know, he hasn’t hurt any civilians physically. He only ever steals.”

Logan bit his lip. “However, we have no records of Entropy hurting civilians physically, either. That is if you don’t count the couple that suffered minor injuries from the statue explosion.”

Patton went to speak again, but clearly thought better of it, snapping his jaw shut. He paused before continuing. “Well, Entropy only appeared a little over a month ago. Night Owl’s been around for almost a year and a half now, if I remember correctly. Night Owl’s had more chances to hurt people, but he hasn’t, so maybe that means something.”

“Typical villains only hurt people as a matter of intimidation. Night Owl can intimidate without any need for harm,” Logan said shortly.

“People are only scared of him because he’s hard to see at night!” Patton protested. 

“And he’s a thief.”

“Well—“ Patton gestured uselessly with his hands. “I just think he’s not as bad as people make him out to be.”

Logan watched Patton for a second, finally unable to resist asking, “What prompted you to bring this up?”

“I couldn’t get the thought off my mind,” Patton said matter-of-factly. “I was at the store, it came to mind, and I just needed to get it off my chest.”

Logan’s gaze trailed to the door, where the pink sticky note still was. “You were gone for quite a while.”

Patton pursed his lips. “The store was busy. I spent twenty minutes in line.”

“And that’s when you thought of Night Owl?”

“I... overheard someone talking about him. It just stuck.”

Logan tapped his foot. The gears were turning in his head, but he didn’t want to jump to conclusions. “The apartment was awfully cold when I returned home.”

“I— huh?” Confusion crossed Patton’s features. “What are you talking about?”

“The window was wide open.”

Patton glanced over at the closed window. “...O-Oh. I must have left it open, sorry.”

“Patton, can I ask you something?”

Patton turned back to Logan, an emotion he couldn’t quite place crossing his features. His voice was quiet as he responded, “Anything.”

“What do you think of Fluorescence?”

Patton paled, freezing in place. “Why do you ask?”

Their gazes remained locked. “I just want to know how you feel about him,” Logan said, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Patton bit his lip. “He... He’s a superhero and Night Owl’s enemy. He avoids cameras and we don’t know much about him.”

“Hmm.” Logan pulled his eyes away and glanced at the wall. 

Patton made a noise of hesitation. “Wait, that’s all?”

Logan turned back to Patton and gave a shrug. “It seems so. We’ve gathered that Night Owl may be inclined to be a good person, and there isn’t a lot to know about Fluorescence.”

“Wait, hold on, so you’re not—“ Patton’s brow furrowed in confusion, and his panic from before seemed to be vanishing. “I thought—“ Patton shook his head and straightened up. “Sorry, I got a little thrown off there. Yeah, you’re right... there really isn’t much to say.” He managed a smile.

Logan smiled back. “Well, I’ve had a bit of a long day at work, so I’ll be retreating to my room. Anything else you’d like to ask?”

Patton waved a hand. “I’m all out of questions. Thanks for answering all that, I know that was a little random. I honestly just couldn’t get it off my mind.”

“Right.” Logan gave Patton a nod, and he turned to pick up his tea— only to be surprised when Patton suddenly stepped forward and hugged him.

“I love you,” Patton mumbled into his shoulder.

Logan‘s heart skipped a beat and he embraced him. “I love you too.”

They lingered for a moment before pulling away, Patton letting out a hesitant giggle. “Sorry, I’m just launching all this on you without any warning.”

Logan waved a hand, a smile still on his face. “It’s okay, Patton.” After only a moments hesitation— he wasn’t usually the one to initiate affectionate things, after all— he leaned in to kiss Patton on the cheek before pulling back and picking up his mug of tea, laughing softly at the stunned look on Patton’s face.

“Logan, you sweetheart,” Patton teased. Logan flushed in response.

Patton glanced over at their bedroom doors. “Well, I’ll let you head to bed. I’m hoping work wasn’t too stressful?”

Logan glanced at his tea. “It wasn’t too bad.”

“Well, that’s better than terrible, right?” Patton smiled. 

Logan smiled back. “Yeah.” He stood up, running a hand through his hair before giving Patton a tip of the head. “Goodnight, Patton.”

“Night, Lo.”

——

Logan shut his bedroom door, crossing the floor to set his half-full mug of tea on his nightstand. He then sank into his bedding, unable to keep the gears from turning in his head, his brain relentlessly insisting that he should have kept talking to Patton. He should have continued his discussion over Fluorescence.

He should have asked Patton to be honest.

Logan rubbed at his eyes. No, he shouldn’t be suspicious of Patton. He was just going out on a limb here, grasping at stray facts and theories that lacked any real support. 

After all, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

——

“I’m sick of secrets,” Patton mumbled to himself after Logan left.

For a frightening second, Patton had thought that Logan had figured out his secret. Logan had made a comment on how long his trip to the store had taken, which only confirmed to Patton that he really needed to stop using that kind of excuse for superhero outings. Not only was he out as Fluorescence for nearly two hours, but on the way home he had to quickly change into normal clothes, stuff his superhero outfit in his black bag, and go buy a bag of flour to not raise suspicions. It was a waste of time— and it didn’t seem to be fooling Logan very well.

Actually, it wasn’t the long “trip to the store” that had Patton worried. He had already written off an excuse for that, that the stores were busy and he was worried about Night Owl. No, what _really_ sent the alarms off in his mind was the open window.

Why had Logan brought it up? It wasn’t related to anything they were already talking about. He had accidentally left it open when he jumped out the window as Fluorescence, but he told Logan he had just forgotten to close it. An open window really couldn’t mean anything to Logan, right?

Patton absentmindedly swirled his green tea around. Logan had asked him what he thought of Fluorescence. It made sense, considering bringing up Night Owl would only lead to questions about his enemy. But why had Logan seemed so... serious about it?

Patton groaned, running a hand down his face. Why had he even considered bringing up Night Owl to Logan? His superhero troubles shouldn’t be interfering with his relationship with his boyfriend. To Logan, it must have seemed so random and out of the ordinary. 

Patton paled. _And_ he had taken the time to clarify that he himself wasn’t Night Owl. He was so stupid— why would he even bring that up? That must have seemed to suspicious.

_Does... Does Logan think I might be Night Owl?_

The thought struck Patton like a slap to the face. It couldn’t be true, right? Logan wouldn’t think that about him. Patton believed himself to be a good person, so Logan wouldn’t think he was a supervillain... right?

_Even though I just tried to convince him Night Owl was a good guy._

“Oh, god,” Patton whispered.

Patton glanced towards Logan’s door, fiddling with his hands. Without a doubt, Logan was onto him. But whether he thought he was Fluorescence or Night Owl, Patton couldn’t tell.

Patton knew what he had to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was, without a doubt, one of my favorite chapters to write so far :)
> 
> It felt a little tricky to write but I hope it still came out well! What do you think Patton’s gonna do about this...? >:)
> 
> Next update: Sometime before the end of May, I pinky promise! <3


	17. Setting the Stage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s that??? TWO updates in one month??? Preposterous!
> 
> What’s that?????? An EXTRA LONG chapter??????????
> 
> Enjoy! ;)

The college lunchroom was flooded in sunlight as the sun crept over the windows, tinging the entire area yellow-orange. Roman stretched, crossing his legs, currently sitting backwards at one of the tables and facing the front door.

The psychology professor, Professor Gardner, was standing near the door and talking to the college students that were filtering in. She had organized the whole tour thing and had already explained to Roman how it’ll work. 

A high school class of juniors and seniors were on their way, already divided into groups of ten to twenty based on their interests. Roman and the other college students who volunteered would be assigned to these groups and would show them around their part of the campus.

Roman wouldn’t say he was overly excited about it, but it would be nice to talk to some new people and have something to do. He glanced down at his cast, covering his wrist and forearm. It was originally bare white, but a few days ago Roman had taken out his markers and decorated it to look like a sky. 

He sighed, glancing around as more students arrived. He wasn’t sure exactly when the high school would get here, but he wished it would be soon.

He pulled out his phone at the sound of a notification. Patton had texted him.

_P: hey Roman!_

_P: let me know when you’re free next. I need to talk to you_

Roman’s gaze flickered up to the front door and back down to his phone. He quickly typed out a reply.

_R: I might have a minute now, what’s up?_

He waited a moment for Patton to reply, but he didn’t. Roman examined his cast until the notification appeared, followed by a few others.

_P: wait are you busy_

_P: I’m not sure how long this will take_

_P: you know what just call me later when you have time :)_

Roman shrugged, responding with an “okay” and a smiley emoji. He put his phone away, tapping his fingers on his knee.

Roughly five more minutes passed until Professor Gardner walked back to the middle of the lunch tables where the college students had gathered, either talking quietly or on their phones. She waved to gather their attention, careful not to jostle the clipboard underneath her other arm.

“Good morning, students.” She adjusted her glasses and gave them a smile. “The high school will be here in a few minutes. You all know what parts of campus you will be showing off, just try and keep it under forty-five minutes. I gave you the rundown when you arrived, but if you have any questions, let me know now.”

One girl— a biology major— asked if they could enter the science labs. Professor Gardner nodded. “Yes, unless class is taking place.” She turned to the whole group. “That goes for everyone. Leave the classes alone, but you can go to any part of the building!”

She made eye contact with Roman and he nodded. He would be showing off the building on the northern side of campus that focused on the arts.

Everyone perked up at the sound of school-buses pulling in just outside the front door. Professor Gardner straightened up and walked briskly to the front. Roman peered across the lunchroom just as she was opening the door to welcome in two adults, presumably teachers at the high school, followed by a fleeting crowd of high schoolers. Roman smiled to himself, feeling so much older than them— despite the fact they were only a year or two younger. 

Gardner spoke to the teachers for a moment before leading them and the high schoolers back to the lunchroom. Roman’s gaze drifted over the teenagers. There were about two hundred, if he had to guess. Some looked bored, some looked nervous, some were looking around with a childish wonder, and some were just chatting it up with their friends. Roman wondered how many of them were here because their parents made them, and he chuckled at the thought.

“Welcome, Riverbarrow High!” Professor Gardner announced, clasping her hands together. The somewhat-talkative crowd immediately hushed. “I’m Professor Gardner, and I teach psychology here. I’m hoping you’ll enjoy your look around!”

She went on for a few minutes about the variety of classes they provided, as well as the high quality of their lunches and dorm rooms. A few high schoolers raised their hands with questions, but she waved dismissively. “In a minute I’ll assign you to a tour guide, and they’ll be happy to answer any questions you have!”

She gestured to the college students to stand up, and they did, subconsciously grouping together. Once they did, she pulled her clipboard out from under her arm and glanced down the list.

“Alrighty... group one, you’ll be with Brittney— Brittney, raise your hand— so please come stand by her until we get you all situated. Thank you!”

There was a bit of murmuring in the crowd until a dozen or so high schoolers pushed their way over to stand around Brittney, a petite girl who had to raise her arm straight up to be visible. Once the crowd had settled and no more kids made their way over, she pulled her group aside to wait patiently.

“Thank you, Brittney.” Gardner looked down her list again. “Group two is with Nathan.”

Nathan’s group made their way over, and it was only a matter of time before Gardner was reading off the next name. Several minutes passed and the crowd of high schoolers was dwindling to about fifty. 

Gardner cleared her throat. “Group thirteen, Roman.”

Roman straightened up, giving a wave. The crowd shifted around, allowing ten or so high schoolers to walk over and stand by him. Roman waited a moment to make sure everyone was here, then dropped his arm and stepped back to give everyone space.

“So, I’m Roman,” he began, careful not to speak too loudly and interrupt Professor Gardner. He flashed a smile, doing his best to look them all in the eyes. He wanted to make a good impression, after all. “You all interested in the arts?”

Mostly everyone was quiet, aside from a few kids that nodded. _Pretty shy. Huh._ “I’m a theater major, myself. If we’re lucky we might be able to see the stage,” he added, doing finger guns. A few kids laughed, and another jokingly pumped a fist.

Professor Gardner was reading off the last of the groups, so Roman shrugged and continued. “So, are you guys theater, art, music...?”

“I’d like to go into digital art,” one girl piped up. The boy next to her nodded, raising a hand in agreement.

“Ooh, nice. I know a few people in digital art, they’re the best.” Roman smiled before looking over the rest of the group. He was about to ask the rest of them their majors, but Professor Gardner spoke up again and he fell quiet.

“Alright, tour guides, you can go ahead! Have a great time, and we’ll see you back here in forty-five minutes,” she announced brightly.

Roman adjusted the red jacket he was wearing. “Well, here we go.” He stepped back, broadly displaying his arms to the sunlight cafeteria. “This is our lunchroom— the best part of the college, I know. We have a different lunch everyday, as well as vegan options everyday as well.” He grinned. “And trust me, the food here is actually really good. Much better than high school food.” He winked, earning a few laughs again. 

His gaze fell on a boy standing near the back of the group, and he faltered. The boy had purple hair and a black hoodie, and his mind instantly categorized him as _high school emo._ The boy looked around the cafeteria, vaguely casual, before landing on Roman. His gaze dropped to Roman’s cast, lingering there for a moment, before turning away.

Roman was used to people looking at his cast, but ever since he decorated it he liked to think people looked at it with interest instead of concern. He figured this was the case, since he himself was actually quite proud of how it turned out.

He shifted his thoughts back to the tour as the digital art girl raised her hand. “Yes?”

“Do you have to eat in the lunchroom every day?”

Roman shook his head. “Nope! It’s completely optional. I eat here two or three times a week, usually on days I have class, because it’s convenient.”

She nodded, playing with her curly hair. Roman glanced around. “Any more questions?”

At the silence that responded, Roman clapped his hands. “Alright, we’re gonna head to the Arts and Music Center! That’s where you guys will have your classes. Ready to go?”

There was more silence until two or so kids called out, “yeah.” Roman chuckled to himself as he began walking to the front doors. _Still a tough crowd._

He pushed open the doors, holding one open to allow the high schoolers to walk through. He had to wait for another group to pass through as well until he could close the door and turn to his kids again.

“Right this way,” he said with a wink, earning a giggle from one of the girls. He turned to the left, walking down a stone path that led from the cafeteria and split in several paths that either curved around the parking lot or led to other buildings. He turned down the path that wrapped around the cafeteria and led to a building a good distance behind the cafeteria. “A bit of a long walk, but the view is nice.”

He gestured to a few of the flowering bushes, before stopping just next to a large sculpture of a pink and yellow turtle. “One of our art students made this a few years ago, and the school put it up! You’ll see a lot of student-made art around here.”

He heard a few “woah’s,” and he counted it as progress. As they walked further down the path, he turned to face them and walked backwards. He wasn’t afraid to fall, since he had walked this path so many times before. “So, I didn’t get to hear what the rest of you are interested in. What about you?” The girl he gestured to perked up.

“I’d like to be a music teacher,” she began, albeit shyly. “Maybe for junior or high school.”

“Ah, excellent!” Roman gave her a high-five with his good hand, and she beamed. “Anyone else going into music?”

Two more kids raised their hands. Roman high-fived both of them.

“I mean, it’s not music but I want to be an art teacher,” a boy piped up. Roman grinned.

“So we’ve got two teachers here,” he joked. “Everyone be on your best behavior.” The group laughed.

Roman glanced over at the purple-haired boy who had caught his eye before. “How about you?” He asked, catching the boy’s attention, who had been looking at the ground. “Wait, don’t tell me, let me guess...”

The boy cracked a smile, raising an eyebrow. Roman hummed, tilting his head. “I’m thinking something in art? Oh, I bet you’re going into graphic design.”

The boy shook his head. Roman tapped his chin.

“Drama? You’re an actor?”

He laughed. “Definitely not.”

Roman finally smiled and shrugged, admitting his defeat. “Alright, tell me!”

The boy’s gaze dropped to his purple converse. “I’d like to be in theater tech,” he admitted. “You know, lights and sound cues and all that.”

“You should join the school play,” one of the girls offered, turning to her purple-haired classmate. “Tech crew just started a week ago.”

“Oh— uh, maybe. I thought about it.” The purple-haired boy shrugged. “I mean, it’s just an idea.”

Roman raised a hand for a high-five. “Well, it’s a great idea! Our college has a play each winter break. This year we did A Christmas Carol, and it was really fun!”

The boy blinked before high-fiving him back. Roman sent him finger guns and he smiled.

“Are you a theater major?” One of the boys asked curiously. Roman nodded.

“I sure am!”

“Were you in the play?”

“Yep! I played the ghost of Christmas present.”

The group seemed satisfied with that answer. Roman himself was proud to have brought most of these otherwise quiet teens out of their shells.

By the time they reached the Arts and Music building, the crowd was chatty and excited. Roman pushed open the doors to reveal a large, circular room, about half the size of the cafeteria. Various paintings and other pieces of artwork were strung around the walls, giving off the feel of a museum. Four doors, aside from the front door, were placed evenly around the walls.

“So, here we are! The Arts and Music Center. All of the art here is student-made.” 

They spent a few minutes walking around the room surveying the different artwork, from the abstract oil paintings to the ink drawings to the photos from the photography class. Roman himself was particularly fond of a picture that appeared to be a close-up of wood, which was actually taken on the college’s stage in the theater department. The group lit up with intrigue when he told them.

The students were becoming much more outspoken, Roman noticed, letting out jokes and comments as Roman led them into the farthest right door and down the music hall. At some point one of the boys began singing out musical songs, and nearly half the group joined in. Roman laughed before inevitably having to quiet them down as they passed a class that was still going on.

“Definitely theatre kids,” he chuckled to himself.

Five minutes passed before Roman turned the corner to enter the arts hall, his gaze landed on a bulletin board and he stopped. The group halted behind him, watching curiously.

“Some of you might know already, but our college is actually putting on an arts festival!” He beamed, gesturing to a neon pink paper that was pinned to the bulletin board. “April 16th. It’s gonna be exciting, and anyone can go, so I would definitely recommend stopping by! Besides, you might get to see me again,” he added with a flamboyant pose. A few kids jokingly cheered.

Roman stepped back as a few of the kids moved forward to take a picture of the flyer. He took the moment to glance over the crowd, catching the eyes of the purple-haired kid from before, who was hovering near the back. 

After a moment Roman made his way over to stand by him. “Not interested, huh?”

The boy shrugged, and Roman smiled. “It’s all good.” He glanced away for a moment before turning back. “So, you said you want to go into theatre tech?”

He nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Yeah.”

“Something bothering you?”

The boy hesitated before finally saying, “I’m just worried I’ll be bad at it or something, you know? I mean, I’m not even in the high school musical. And I’d like to join, it’s just... I don’t really have the time.”

“I gotcha. But hey— you never know! You might be _great_ at it. And if not, you have all the time in the world to learn and practice.” Roman tilted his head with a knowing smile. “Everybody has to start somewhere, right?”

A surprised look crossed the boy’s face before he gave a small smile. “Right.” His gaze flickered to the floor for a second. “Thank you.”

A few kids were still reading the flyer, so Roman had the time to keep talking. “No problem. And listen... some of my friends in theatre tech will be at the festival. If this is definitely something you’re interested in, you should come by and talk to them.”

The boy paused, turning to the pink flyer. “Hm. I... I might stop by, actually. I’ll have to see.”

Roman beamed, proud to have (partially) convinced him. “You need a picture of the flyer?”

To Roman’s surprise, the boy actually looked embarrassed for a second. “I... have one of the flyers, actually.”

“Wait, really?” Roman laughed. “Oh, so you’re already ahead of the game! Good for you.” He looked over to see that the high schoolers had finished taking pictures of the pink flyer and were now absent-mindedly chatting. Roman straightened up. “Well, that’s my cue.” He gave the boy one last smile before heading back to the front of the group, calling out, “Alright, group thirteen! Let’s move on to the art hall.”

The art wing took longer than usual, around fifteen minutes to explore, mostly because they paused several times to examine various pieces of artwork set up along the walls. One of the pottery rooms was empty as well, so Roman gave the high schoolers a few minutes to poke around. “Just don’t touch anything,” he warned as one girl reached for an unpainted vase. Her hand jerked back and she flashed Roman a sheepish smile.

“Where does this door lead?” Someone asked curiously once they had left the pottery room and began walking down the hall again. Roman turned to see one of the boys pointing to an unlabeled door which blended easily into the wall. Roman had missed it completely.

“It’s nothing special, really,” Roman said with a shrug. “It’s just a storage room, but I don’t think we even use it.” He jiggled the door handle, unsurprisingly finding it locked. 

“Why do you have it if you don’t use it?” One of the girls pointed out. Roman pursed his lips.

“No idea. I think it’s because each art room has its own storage anyways, so nothing needs to be stored here, you know? The school board just locked it and left it here to gather dust.”

“Creepy,” someone whispered, followed by a few giggles. Roman smiled in amusement before moving on.

By the time half an hour had passed they had made their way around the majority of the building. Roman proudly opened two large doors, revealing an enormous auditorium of dark red chairs, all curved around and facing a grand stage. The group behind him let out a few “oooh’s.”

“And this,” he announced, “is the stage.”

The students filtered in. Roman gestured around. “You all can take a look around, since we have about five to ten minutes left until we need to head back. Just don’t damage anything, and ask me if you have any questions!”

“Can we go on the stage?” Someone piped up. Roman nodded, earning smiles from the crowd.

The kids dispersed fairly quickly, most of them making their way over to the stage, while a few sat down in the seats to watch their friends mess around or to simply take a break. Roman paused before nudging the purple-haired kid’s shoulder. “Hey.”

“Hm?” He glanced over.

“I want to show you something. Follow me.”

The student followed, albeit a little confused, as Roman crossed to the back of the room where the floor gradually slanted up. They walked up to what appeared to be a wide podium in the very back, but upon closer inspection, it was a desk of sorts with a tablet, a microphone, and several other wires and paraphernalia. Roman winked, earning a curious look from the teen before he plugged in a wire or two and tapped away at the tablet.

A moment later, the lights over the stage turned a brilliant gold. A few of the kids looked over in intrigue while the others appeared thrilled.

The purple-haired kid whistled. “A-Ah, that’s so cool.” He reached forward before darting his hand back, embarrassment crossing his features.

“Nah, it’s okay, go ahead,” Roman said with a smile. The student seemed hesitant but still approached, tapping a different button on the tablet. The gold lights shifted to blue, bathing the stage in a cool underwater-like atmosphere. Another tap and the stage was flooded in red light.

“Okay, so— I think I get it,” he said after a moment of messing around with different colors. Roman was amused at his focused expression. “All of the colors are on the screen, but if you press this button while you press a different color, a different transition...” he trailed off, pulling his hands away, and Roman blinked.

“Why’d you stop?”

“Sorry. I mean— well, I’m sure you know all this already, and it’s like, pretty simple anyways so...” he shrugged, fiddling his hands together. Roman raised an eyebrow before straightening up.

“What’s your name?” Roman asked after a moment.

He glanced up. “Virgil.”

_Hm. It suits him._

“Alright, Virgil,” Roman began with his usual dramatic flair. Virgil couldn’t help but crack a smile. “I think it’s pretty obvious that this interests you, and if you want to talk about it I’m _totally_ down to listen.” Virgil’s smile fell. “I wanna hear about your interests, man.”

Virgil sighed. “I... thanks.” He shifted a little, casting Roman a slightly apologetic glance. “I appreciate it. I just didn’t want to be, like... annoying, I guess.”

“Hey, you weren’t annoying. I thought it was cool how fast you picked up on it.” Roman smiled. “I’m gonna be honest with you, the first time I got to go back here it took me ages to figure out which color was even which.”

Virgil actually laughed. Roman decided it was a nice sound.

“You know, if you swipe to this screen, you can actually change the brightness of the lights too...”

———

They spent the next few minutes testing out different settings and combinations of lights. Roman noted in amusement that Virgil seemed particularly fond of the violet setting, switching back to that color more often than not. Half of the stage was lit up in purple when Virgil suddenly turned to Roman, catching him by surprise.

“Hey, if you don’t mind me asking... what happened to your arm?”

Roman blinked before dropping his gaze to his painted cast. “Oh, this?” At Virgil’s nod, he continued. “Had a bit of a nasty fall. I messed up my wrist a little bit, but the cast should be off in a little over a week.”

Virgil nodded, absentmindedly lighting up the other half of the stage red, providing a vivid contrast between that and the violet lights. “Ouch. I’m sorry to hear that.”

Roman was still gazing at the cast. He flexed his fingers before finally looking up and admiring the beautifully lit stage. “It’s all good. The only frustrating thing is that I have to do everything with my left hand now, and I’m right-handed.” He sighed dramatically. “Oh, I cannot wait to get this cast removed.”

Virgil chuckled, giving him a sympathetic look. “Sounds aggravating.”

Their conversation stretched on for a while until finally Roman checked his phone, realizing they had only a few minutes to get back. He and Virgil shut off the lights before walking down and approaching the stage.

It appeared five of the high schoolers had taken to sitting in a circle on the stage, while the rest were playing around with the curtains. Roman cleared his throat and waved to gather their attention.

“Hey! It’s about time for us to head back. What did you all think?”

“It was fun!” A girl piped up, hopping down from the stage. 

“I like all the art they have in that front area,” a boy commented. Roman recognized him as the one that wanted to be an art teacher. “I think my favorite was the city lights painting.” There was a general murmur of agreement throughout the group.

They continued to chat about their experiences and favorite parts of the tour as they left the theater, looping around a different hallway to reach the front hall quicker. Roman was absently aware of the quiet Virgil hovering near him, and he sent him a smile. Virgil adjusted his hoodie and softly smiled back.

Roman was distracted by one of the girls tugging his sleeve to ask him a question. He brightened up when she asked about the performances the college planned to do in the future and he happily rambled about not only the college’s preferences, but his as well. Unsurprisingly, the group was made up of theater kids, and they all enthusiastically offered their opinions.

By the time they made it back to the cafeteria the group was comparing Mean Girls to Heathers, which travelled onto which role each student would want to play. Even the students who weren’t interested in theatre seemed happy to discuss it.

“I’d be JD,” Virgil said simply, ensuing a chorus of laughter from the others at their otherwise reclusive classmate. Roman’s lips curved into a smile at the comparison. 

Professor Gardner was in the cafeteria with the two high school teachers and five or six other groups. She gave Roman a nod as he entered, and he responded with a wave, leading the high schoolers to stand near their classmates.

The group was still making jokes and musical references, and Roman’s heart swelled when he thought about how quiet they were at the beginning. _What can I say, I have charm,_ he thought in amusement.

He was a little surprised when Virgil caught his eye and approached, stepping slightly away from the others. Roman turned to him curiously.

“Hey, so...” Virgil shifted on his feet. “I was still kind of on the fence about coming to the art festival— well, I mean, I don’t want to make any definite plans in case something else comes up because, like... it’s over a month away, and—“ he stopped to sigh. “Okay, what I’m trying to say is, I’d like to go. I think.”

An affectionate expression crossed Roman’s face. “Aww, I’m glad to hear it.”

The corners of Virgil’s lips twitched into a smile. “Ah— thanks. I just— okay— I don’t know if this is weird, but... could I have your number?” At Roman’s startled expression he hastily scrambled for an answer. “But not in _that_ way! I just want to talk to you at the festival— if I go— and... you know, talk to your tech friends...?” 

Roman hadn’t seen Virgil so flustered before, and he couldn’t help but laugh before answering. “Well, yeah!”

A split second passed and Virgil looked surprised. “Wait, really?”

“Totally! You’re cool. And you only saw the lights today— at the festival my friends’ll be talking about backstage stuff too.” Roman pulled up his number on his phone and handed it to Virgil. “I just didn’t know you thought of me this way.”

Virgil spluttered for a moment before seeing Roman’s expression and realizing he was joking. Roman burst into laughter, earning a joking scowl from Virgil as he handed his phone back, which Roman took and put into his pocket. “You’re the worst,” Virgil said, but the smile was there.

They returned to their group just as the last of the tour groups came in. Professor Gardner quickly counted before clapping twice to catch everyone’s attention. “Alright, students!” The room quieted. “I hope you all enjoyed your tour today, and Saltsand University will always welcome you! Now, if you have any last questions, please ask them now.”

Two or three students raised their hands, and Gardner answered their questions fairly quickly. Once the room was settled, one of the other teachers stepped in. “It’s about time to head back. When we call your bus number, you may leave and board your bus. Don’t forget to thank Professor Gardner here on your way out. Let’s go, bus one!”

The crowd shifted as about a third of the students made their way to the door, most of them calling out to Gardner as they went. Roman went out of his way to high five each of his students, since several had to leave, beaming every time one of them smiled.

“Bus two!”

Most of Roman’s group had split away, leaving only three or four students. Virgil cast Roman a glance.

“Thanks,” he said. Roman fist-bumped him.

“Of course. See you at the art festival, hopefully,” he said with a wink. Virgil smiled.

“Bus three!”

Virgil gave him a wave before striding ahead with the rest of the students. Roman watched him go, feeling oddly detached.

Most of the tour guides sat down at the cafeteria tables when all of the students left, including Roman. Professor Gardner spoke over the rumble of the buses outside.

“So, how was it?”

“I liked it,” one girl said brightly, followed by a few murmurs of agreement from the tour guides around her. 

Roman nodded. “My group was fun,” he commented, thinking back to when they had burst into song in the music hall. The corners of his lips twitched into a smile.

Gardner beamed. “Oh, that’s great! They seemed like a nice group of kids. Thank you all for volunteering, by the way, it means a lot.” 

A moment passed before the sound of the buses outside faded away. “Well, you’re all free to go! I hope you had a great time, and I’ll see some of you in class tomorrow morning!” She waved to a few of her psychology students as the rest of the students stood up, many of whom beelined for the door after calling out goodbyes.

Roman caught Gardner’s eye and waved before making his way to the door, a bit of a bounce in his step. He wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but giving the tour today had surprisingly lifted his spirits more than he would have thought.

He pushed open the door and took in the warm sun. Just as he started walking he remembered Patton’s texts.

 _Oh, right. He asked me to call him_.

Roman pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing Patton’s number and holding it to his ear. He listened to the familiar ringing, taking the sidewalk that would lead him back to his dorm.

It rang three times before Patton picked up. “Hey, Roman.“

“Sup, Pat,” Roman greeted. “What’s going on?”

A twinge of worry crossed his mind at the silence he received. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Roman, it’s just...”

Roman’s stomach twisted at his hesitance, and without thinking he came to a halt. Patton’s next words made his heart stop.

“I can’t teach you anymore.”

——

**the night before**

When Fluorescence confronted Night Owl on a rooftop in the middle of the night, he wasn’t expecting his enemy to be holding a tree.

It was small and young, in a black disposable pot, the kind that was meant to be thrown out after the tree was planted in the ground. Night Owl froze, his arms tightening around the plant as Fluorescence approached.

“...Salutations.”

“You know, Night Owl, I never took you for the gardening type,” Fluorescence teased, placing his hands on his hips. He supposed there was no need to be aggressive, since Night Owl currently didn’t pose a threat.

Night Owl shifted his grip on the tree’s pot. “...I can explain.”

Fluorescence cracked an amused smile. “Please do.”

“I’m sure you are aware of the tree that was damaged sometime last week in the park,” Night Owl began, jerking his head in the direction of the park. “Well... that may or may not have been my fault, and I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to replace it.”

Fluorescence deadpanned. “Really?”

Night Owl exhaled. “I’m not doing anything illegal, Fluorescence.”

“I... believe you, I’m just surprised,” Fluorescence said curiously. 

Personally, he was relived he wouldn’t have to fight Night Owl tonight. He had gone out to clear his head and make a plan on how to deal with his... current issues. Running into his enemy, who was on his way to fix a bit of his own wrongdoing, was amusing.

...and only added more to his dilemma. Fluorescence tensed up, filing this information for later before pushing it all from his mind.

“Well, I won’t stop you,” Fluorescence admitted. He couldn’t stop the grin that crossed his face. “In fact, I’m _root-_ ing for you.”

Night Owl tensed slightly, which confused Patton, before cracking a smile. “Amusing.” He straightened up, taking a step to the side. “Well, Fluorescence, I’ll be on my way now. I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon, most likely under... different circumstances.” He gestured to the tree, and Fluorescence laughed.

“Alright, I’ll stay out of your way just this once. But I’ll be around, so don’t even think of trying anything.”

Night Owl paused before nodding. “Fair.” His hand pulled at a switch on his torso as he walked to the edge of the roof, and his silver wings snapped out. He gave Fluorescence a quick salute, to which the superhero waved back, and in a flash of silver and black Night Owl was down the street.

Fluorescence watched him go, turning over the event in his mind. He bit his lip and crossed his arms.

_What do I even know anymore?_

The thought came to him as a surprise, but Patton understood exactly what it meant. He thought over Entropy, who Patton had yet to truly understand— his boyfriend, Logan, who was just too intelligent for his own good— and now Night Owl, a supervillain, going out of his way to put some good in the world. Patton frowned, tapping his foot anxiously before sighing.

He knew he had told Night Owl he’d be out and about, but right now he was going to go home.

This was exhausting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the ending, but I’m sure you’ve all figured out by now I can’t write a chapter of this story without sprinkling in some sort of moral dilemma
> 
> ^ I actually was pretty unsure about adding it in, but it’s relevant, and I liked the idea of fluorescence catching night owl with the tree so :) 
> 
> Yay!! We’ve finally had the tour!! AND this is the first time Virgil’s name has officially been used in this book :’) 
> 
> also, disclaimer, I have no idea how light tech works and guessed lol
> 
> ALSO!! I should probably say this now, but this story is not intended to have romantic prinxiety! I know I wrote it in and they joked about it, but Virgil is still a minor and Roman’s an adult, so despite them being very close in age, I decided I would just kind of steer clear of it altogether. Hope you understand! <3
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!! I have the outlines for the next several chapters planned out and a general outline for the story, but I do have some ideas I’m playing around with so we’ll see where that takes us :)
> 
> have a great day!!


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